Help Needed 3: Revenge of the Missing Nin
by animemetalhead
Summary: The Akatsuki have stepped up their game, and now they hold the most powerful shinobi nation in their grasp, leaving the job of defeating them to the village's greatest hero. Book 3 of 5
1. Return of the Legendary Hero: Kiora

A/N: Okay, it's back to just me

A/N: Okay, it's back to just me. We've finally killed Kohana for good. What could come up that's worse than her? If you want to know how we got to this point, and somehow missed the second book, it starts in chapter 21 of Like Mother, Like Daughter, by Kyouger. Now, a bit of a review. When we last left our heroine, she had vanished after killing Kohana and her dragon minion, Malandra. We rejoin the village of Konohagakure six months after that day.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I think. I actually might, depending on whether that was a dream or not. Nope, it was, so I guess I don't. Damn.

Hinata Hyuuga stared blankly at a page in a dusty photo album. In the picture, a toddler with shocking pink hair and pupil-less grey eyes stood naked in the same living room, clutching a teddy bear to her chest. She turned the page. Now the same young child stood in her uniform for the first day of elementary school. Underneath was the letter expelling her two years later for using her all-seeing eyes to peek at the other girls. The next page showed her hand in hand with another girl, this one with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"I think it's about time we redecorated," Sakura Haruno said, striding into the room. She sat down next to Hinata on the couch, rubbing her obviously pregnant belly.

"Changing things won't bring her back," Hinata said weakly. Her eyes continued blankly following the turning of the pages.

Sakura put one hand on the photo album, using the other to gently turn Hinata's head so they were looking at each other.

"And staring at old photos won't bring her back either," Sakura said. She tried to give Hinata a comforting smile, but the loss of their daughter overcame them, and they wept in each other arms until they fell asleep.

--

On the far side of Konohagakure, in a small graveyard near the stone faces of the Hokages, were the heroes' tombs. There, a blond girl with bright blue eyes lay down a bouquet of pink roses on a grave, muttered a few words, and left.

She never looked back at the grave that marked the passing of Kiora Hyuuga Haruno, her closest friend and lover. Natsuko Yamanaka gave up on her love ever returning that day.

--

However, Kiora Hyuuga Haruno was not dead. She was, however, very close. She surveyed her surroundings. She was in a blank white void, with no visible features. She was covered in blood, she supposed from the last fatal wound she inflicted on Malandra. She remembered something Wolfwing said about dragon's blood being a powerful interdimensional medium. So, from her experiences of being in limbo before, she deduced that she was stuck between dimensions.

More pressingly, however, was the lack of an atmosphere here. She had only been here for thirty seconds and already her head was going foggy from lack of oxygen. She desperately tried to remember the handsigns Wolfwing had used to get her back to her own world.

She raced against the remaining oxygen in her lungs, flipping through signs as quickly as she could. Her vision swam, and her thoughts began to cloud, but she shut her eyes and pressed on. Finally, after another thirty seconds, she felt the familiar sound of air rushing past her head.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The forests and rooftops of Konohagakure greeted her. But it was different from the Konoha she had left behind. When she had been sucked out of her dimension, the village had been in ruins. Now there were two new faces on the stone Hokage monument, the first being Shikamaru, while the second face belonged to her old mentor, Kakashi.

"Am I back in Tsunade and Kurenai's world?" she wondered aloud. She touched down gently on a rooftop, looking around carefully. People bustled through the market below, until one person shouted, "Hey! Is that Kiora Haruno?"

Kiora looked down to see a street full of faces staring at her. She frowned, flipped through handsigns, and teleported away.

She reappeared next to a two-level wooden home with a large front porch. The mailbox had "Haruno and Hyuuga" scrawled across its side. She hopped up to the door and pushed it open.

"Mom?" she called, stepping inside. "Anybody home?" There was no response. She headed into the kitchen, where the sound of running water greeted her.

Hinata Hyuuga stood with facing the sink, washing dishes and being completely lost in her thoughts. Kiora grinned and snuck silently behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Boo."

Hinata's scream could be heard three point four miles away. Then she fainted. Kiora caught her and set her down gently in a chair. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the stainless steel surface of the stove. Her pink hair was matted down on her head, and her normally gray hoodie was now a deep red. She realized that even without the sneaking she would have been terrifying.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" came a call down the stairs. Kiora stepped out of the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs. Sakura stood carrying a small infant, but in an instant was at the bottom of the stairs lunging with a kunai.

"Mom, what are you doing?!" Kiora shouted. She dodged under the kunai, activating her Byakugan.

"Who are you and what did you do to Hinata?" Sakura said, her voice so low it rocked Kiora back a step.

"Mom, it's me! I didn't do anything to her! Okay, maybe I spooked her a bit, but she's fine! She just fainted." Kiora continued dodging her mother's attacks, trying to avoid getting hit.

"Liar!" Sakura screeched. Kiora finally got frustrated and drove two chakra infused fingers into all the chakra points along her mother's arm. Before she could continue, Sakura dropped the infant and grabbed her arm in pain. Kiora caught the child in midair and rolled, keeping it safe.

"The day of my fifteenth birthday party, after you scarred me for life with the knowledge that Hinata is a squirter," Kiora gave a small shudder. "I named your future daughter Miyoko. Does that prove who I am?"

Sakura remained wary. "You would have been sixteen as of about a week ago. But here you are, looking like you did the day you vanished."

Kiora put on a puzzled expression. "Sixteen?" she asked. She handed Miyoko back to her mother, and peeled her bloody hoodie off over her head.

"It's been almost a year to the day since you killed Kohana," Sakura said. "Where have you been?"

"I was stuck in a void between dimensions for sixty seconds," Kiora said. "I don't know how a year ended up passing in that time." She frowned. What else had she missed in the year she had been gone?

"I need a shower," she announced. Sakura stood and moved off of the stairs, and Kiora went by, carefully trying not to drip blood on the carpet.

She opened the door to the bathroom, dropped her hoodie in the trash, and stripped off the rest of her clothes.

_Hiashi, where are you? _she asked.

_You certainly have been gone a long time, _came the patriarch's response.

_What's new since I left?_

_A lot, _Hiashi said. _Your mother gave birth, the Uchiha twins came out to their father, and Ino and Shikamaru got married._

Kiora frowned as she stepped under the hot water. She was reminded of the time she had killed Naruto, back when she first used her Chidori.

As before, the blood washed away quickly, but Kiora remained lost in her thoughts. As before, her victim had been killed without much thought. As before, her resulting appearance had terrified someone close to her. And as before, she still remembered vividly the sensation of the kill.

Kiora finally turned off the water and stepped out into the steamy bathroom. She wiped a hand across the mirror to get a better view of her face. Her gray Hyuuga eyes stared back at her, same as they always had. She wiped a stray strand of hair off of her forehead, and reached for her towel. She dried off, and headed out of the bathroom, crossing the hall to her own room.

She grabbed the doorknob and turned. It moved slightly before the lock caught it and held it shut. Frowning, she considered kicking it in, but instead returned to the bathroom, where she foraged for a hairpin under the sink. Returning to the locked door, she activated her Byakugan, and in less than thirty seconds the door swung open. Kiora was stunned to see how barren it was.

Then it all came back to her. The day of her fifteenth birthday, she had moved into Sasha's apartment, taking all of her stuff with her. That building had been incinerated by her eternally burning fireball. She had no clothes, no possessions, and no way to recover them.

She searched every nook and cranny, but all she found was an old pair of panties and an odd sock. Carefully wrapping her towel around herself, she headed downstairs.

She found her mothers on the couch. Miyoko crawled around on the floor, occasionally stopping to gnaw on a teething ring.

"I remember when you were this little," Hinata said. "It's been sixteen years since then."

"Yeah, thanks for the memories," Kiora said. "Sorry if I scared you earlier."

"Well, _you _have someone covered in blood sneak up on you," Hinata said.

"Hey, I _said _I was sorry," Kiora said defensively. "Anyways, all of my stuff got turned to charcoal with that damn fireball. And I really don't feel like running around naked today."

"Come on upstairs then," Sakura said. "I think I have some of my old clothes from back when I was a genin."

Sakura led her daughter into the master bedroom. She pulled a cardboard box out of the bottom of the closet. There was a scrawl of Sharpie across the top that vaguely resembled words. A faint glow of chakra surrounded her index finger as she ran it along the tape that held the box shut.

The box sprang open, revealing a variety of clothes. Sakura rummaged through its contents and pulled out a one piece outfit in a deep red color. She continued going through the box, then finally got frustrated and dumped the contents out on the floor. After another minute of searching, she finally gave up.

"I can't find the shorts that go with it," she said. "So avoid flashing too many people."

"Thanks mom," Kiora said. She headed out of her parents' room and back into her own room, where she tossed her towel to the floor. She sniffed the pair of panties she had found earlier, and, determining them to be clean, put them on. She pulled Sakura's old outfit on over her head and zipped it up.

She looked herself over in the mirror. It came down to mid-thigh in front and back, but the sides exposed her entire leg, and if she twisted the wrong way, the waistband of her panties showed.

But it beat going naked. She ran back to the living room, said a rushed goodbye to her parents, kissed Miyoko on the forehead, and rushed outside. She took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of springtime. She flipped through a sequence of handsigns and teleported to where she knew Ino had last lived. To her relief, the house was still there, and it was largely unchanged from the last time she had seen it. She hopped up to the door and pushed the doorbell.

A very surprised Natsuko Yamanaka opened the door. Kiora rushed up and hugged her girlfriend, but pulled back when Natsuko didn't return it.

"You came back," Natsuko said, in a dull tone. The look in her eyes was different from the gleam they had once held before. "Funny. You don't look any older than you did before you vanished."

"Yeah, it's a long story," Kiora said, grinning despite herself. She leaned casually against the doorjamb, twisting so Natsuko could see the bit of panty this outfit exposed. "Basically, for me it's only been a half an hour since the fight with Kohana."

Natsuko glanced at Kiora's exposed underwear then returned her gaze to eye level. "Look, I guess I should just tell you now," she said. "I'm not into girls anymore."

"What?" Kiora asked. The grin had disappeared from her face.

Natsuko gave a heavy sigh. "After you vanished, I fell into the deepest period of despair. It was sadness as no human being should ever have to feel. My mom told me about the one night stand she had with your mothers, but within a year, she had ended up with my dad. Shikamaru, I mean. I've accepted the wonderful times we've had together, but I've moved beyond my fantasies and into the real world. I hope you do the same some day." With that, she shut the door and left Kiora in a state of disbelief.

Kiora turned and walked slowly back towards her home. It was as though her mind had frozen.

_We never even told each other we loved each other, _she thought. _There were so many things we never said that should have been said._

She was so lost in thought that she into the back of someone. She looked up into the face of Kakashi Hatake, decked out in the Hokage's robes.

"Long time no see," he said. Kiora shrugged. "I remember when your mother used to wear that outfit," he said. Another shrug. "Alright, what's wrong?"

"Nothing you can help with," Kiora said. Her voice sounded dead, but that was nothing compared to how she felt.

"Oh, I just remembered," Kakashi said. "This was supposed to be presented to you at an official ceremony, but you vanished and we never got the chance." He held out a Konoha leaf headband on a blue cloth. "You are hereby promoted to the rank of chunin as an official shinobi of Konohagakure village."

"Thanks," Kiora said, taken aback. She tied the headband around her neck, the way Hinata used to wear it.

"There is one more thing," Kakashi said. Kiora held up a finger to silence him, probably the only shinobi who could do so to the Hokage.

"I really would love to hear about it, but I've got other things that I have to do right now," Kiora said. Before Kakashi could respond, she had teleported.

Feeling rejected, depressed, and frustrated all at the same time, she trudged up the front steps and back into her home, where she promptly tripped over the stack of blocks Miyoko had put in front of the door.

Crawling back up from her prone position, she muttered, "I'm going to bed. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."

"Okay," Hinata said, as Kiora took to the stairs. She finally flopped down on her bed, inhaled the scent of the pillows, and drifted off in seconds.

A/N: Well, that's it! I'm officially back, beeyotches! Ph34r my awesomeness. Anyways, not a whole lot of plot yet, but I know eventually where the story will turn.

This time, in Help Needed: Kiora's newest enemies! The Akatsuki return, more powerful than ever! Kiora finds new allies in unexpected places, and loses some that she thought she could always count on. Love, hate, suspense, and all that other good crap that they say in previews awaits you in the upcoming chapters. Enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing: vote in the character popularity poll on my profile page! There may be something special in store for the character who wins, or the runner up if Kiora sweeps the whole thing.


	2. Kyuubi Unleashed: The Demon Rediscovered

A/N: Okay, chapter 2

A/N: Okay, chapter 2! I still don't expect this story to have much plot, but you never know what could happen. Thanks to Kyouger for being the first reviewer. He rocks. And, regrettably, I'm still not as awesome of an author as he is. But I digress.

Disclaimer: God, do I have to?

Lawyers: Yes.

But I don't wanna….

Lawyers: Too bad. Now say it!

Fine! I do not own Naruto. But in my mind, I own Hinata. –grins- Good girl. Take them off, nice and slow. Sorry, I spaced out for a sec. Back to the story!!

Kiora awoke without opening her eyes. She was conscious of her surroundings, but was too groggy to bother observing them. All she knew was that her head was on something very soft, and there was a very rhythmic sound from beneath it, like a heartbeat. It almost lulled her back to sleep, until she took a deep breath and gagged on Hinata's hair.

Her eyes jerked open, and she realized that her mothers had crawled into bed with her overnight. Sakura lay on her right side, her face nuzzled into Kiora's arm, while Hinata was sprawled awkwardly on her left. And Kiora had been drooling on her boob.

While she tried to gouge the images from her head, Sakura stirred.

"Good morning kiddo," she said. Kiora, her head in her hands trying to squeeze the bad thoughts from her mind, did not respond. Then Sakura noticed the wet spot on Hinata's pajamas.

"Goodness, what were _you _doing last night?" she teased. Kiora glared at her.

"I'm not really in the mood mom," she said. "Natsuko has basically forgotten me. I can't really deal with a whole lot right now."

Sakura seemed mildly surprised. Kiora stretched, got out of bed, and headed downstairs, leaving her mothers in bed. She poured herself a bowl of Cookie Crisp (because it's awesome) and plopped down at the table. She ate with one hand while the other held up her head, trying not to cry. She didn't know why, but Natsuko's words weren't really hitting home until now.

Sakura entered the kitchen a moment later, with an odd smile on her face. "I have a bit of a surprise for you," she said. "You know how Ayame took over the Ichiraku noodle bar?" Kiora nodded, not really listening. "Well, she has a daughter who's almost your age. She just got expelled from boarding school because she came out of the closet. Ayame asked me to ask you to see if you can help her out."

"I don't know anything about coming out," Kiora said, bitterness flooding her voice. "I never even thought about boys. I was never 'in the closet,' so I never had to come out."

She drained the last of the milk out of her cereal bowl, dumped it in the sink, and stalked past her mother and headed for the living room. She intended to veg all day, or all week if she could manage it.

"Kakashi also told me you blew him yesterday," Sakura said.

Kiora tried to both exhale and inhale at the same time, and ended up choking on her own saliva. "He what?!" she finally asked, infuriated.

"Sorry, I meant blew him _off_," she corrected. "He says it's incredibly urgent."

"I'll go later," Kiora said, returning her attention to her movie. The screen flicked off. She turned to see her mother holding the remote.

"Go see him, now," she commanded, a finality in her voice that Kiora hadn't heard in ages.

"Fine," Kiora said begrudgingly. She threw on her sandals and walked outside. She hopped up to her own rooftop, and from there headed towards the Hokage's mansion.

--

"So, when did you become Hokage?" Kiora asked, walking into Kakashi's office without knocking. A guard lay clutching his stomach behind her, out in the hallway.

"When Shikamaru's laziness caught up with him and he gave it up, two months in," Kakashi answered, not looking up. "Did Sakura have to force you over here?"

Kiora shook her head as Kakashi finally made eye contact. "Of course not," he said. Kiora couldn't help but notice that his face was much more lined than it had been before.

"Being Hokage must be taking its toll on you," Kiora asked, sitting in a chair opposite her old mentor.

Kakashi shrugged. "It's not nearly as exciting as it used to be. In the good old days, the Hokage was constantly tested, being forced to eliminate threats beyond the capabilities of any of the other shinobi in the village. But ever since Sasuke got his curse mark and Naruto harnessed the Kyuubi, the Hokage's abilities have been slightly surpassed. And of course, the latest patriarch gene user of the Hyuuga clan just had to go and become part vampire."

Kiora grinned, feeling almost happy for the first time since she returned. Kakashi continued.

"There is actually a concern about you," he said. "In the year and a half or so since Naruto's death, there has been some concern about his Kyuubi. If it had been released when you killed him, it would have run rampant and started destroying things again. But there have been no sightings of it, and we think it may have something to do with the way he was killed."

"Let me guess, I absorbed his Kyuubi when I tore out his heart," Kiora said.

"That is the general idea," Kakashi said. "When he went down his pedophilic path, Lady Tsunade put several seals on the demon, making sure Naruto couldn't access the chakra. Unfortunately, he had so much experience that he was still able to access it. Also, when you absorbed the demon fox, you absorbed the seals as well. They over-restricted the demon, since you had no experience controlling it, and even dampened your patriarch gene abilities."

Kiora nodded. She was starting to get used to being told what new powers she was gaining.

"Tsunade passed the notes on the seals on to Sakura in her will, so I'm going to have her remove the seals back down to the bare minimum to control the demon. You have much better self control than Naruto, so I imagine you can become even stronger than him."

"I already was the first day I got my patriarch gene activated," Kiora said. "It's hard to believe he was once a student of yours."

Kakashi merely sighed. "It's a shame. He wasted his limitless potential."

Kiora couldn't think of anything to say, so she rose to leave. "I heard Ayame's daughter came back from boarding school," Kakashi said as she reached the door. "Maybe you should go see her."

Kiora sighed, and started the short trip over to the Ichiraku ramen bar.

--

Deep in the bowels of hell, flames licked at the skin of the eternally damned souls of Lucifer's personal torture chamber. Very few people ever ended up in the deepest circle of his domain, but every once in a while, someone came along that was so vicious, that they had to be dealt with personally.

Such was the case for Kohana. In keeping with the wonderful relativity of time, three hundred and sixty years had passed in hell since she was vanquished by Kiora. Unfortunately, Lucifer could no longer find any good ways to torture the vampire. Everything he did just seemed to turn her on. He had even had his entire demon army run a train on the woman, but she just never broke. Today she hung from the wall by her shackles, nude, and grinned as the master of dark forces passed.

"Hey Lou, how's it going?" she piped up. Lucifer shook his head and continued walking back to his chamber. Several succubae occupied the room, his own personal harem, but he dismissed them. Instead he turned to a basin of jet black fluid, waved his arm over top of it, and cast a spell in search of the ultimate torture for Kohana.

He had often tried this search before, but the closest thing to torture for Kohana was a club of yaoi fangirls. This time, however, an image of a girl appeared in the surface of the liquid. She was about fifteen, with short pink hair and grey, pupil-less eyes. He recognized her as the girl who had killed Kohana in the first place.

Lucifer then hatched a dirty scheme to punish Kohana worse than any physical pain could ever hope to accomplish. He would send her to the surface, and she would have to help this girl, never being able to harm her. He set to work writing up the binding demonic contract, laughing maniacally to himself the whole time.

A/N: I know, I said Kohana was dead for good, but she was never truly alive, so I guess she can't really die. Besides, she's no longer a villain. And of course, there is always Kiora's need to find a new lover. Will it be the daughter of the local shopkeeper, or the one enemy that could fight her to a standstill in combat? Find out in the next exciting chapter!


	3. A New Friend: The Shopkeeper's Daughter

A/N: I don't know why, but his thing has just picked up and started writing itself

A/N: I don't know why, but his thing has just picked up and started writing itself. I was having the worst writer's block of my life, but now I just can't stop! Even If I run out of ideas for this story, I still have plans for a whole new yuri story between Tenten and Hinata. Trust me, it'll work. But first, I've got this chapter to type.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Seriously, like it's changed from last time. Geez.

Kiora never made it to Ichiraku Ramen. Well, she made it to the bar, but she never went inside. As she prepared to duck under the cloth door, Natsuko and Ino came out.

Kiora shot Natsuko a glare worse than any she ever fired at an enemy. Natsuko quickly skittered away with her mother, and Kiora left the ramen bar behind.

Kiora now sat on the top of the great stone Hokage monument, quietly humming to herself in the breeze. She noticed herself humming one particular melody over and over again. She stopped to think, putting words in place of the notes. After a few minutes of debating and a few changes to the tempo, she ended up with what she felt was a really good chorus to a metal song.

"If only I knew how to play guitar," she muttered, flopping back down to the stone. She lay there quietly singing her new song to herself, trying to come up with more words for the verse.

_I_

_Am dying from inside_

_I'm living in a lie_

_And I can't figure it out anymore_

_I_

_Don't know who I am_

_This whole life's a sham_

_And I don't wanna figure it out anymore_

"Not bad," said a voice from behind her. She turned to see a girl with short black hair standing a few feet from her. "You're Kiora, right?"

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first," Kiora said, returning her gaze to the village.

"I'm Aiko," the girl said. "Ayame's daughter. I followed you from the noodle bar."

Kiora looked mildly surprised. It took a lot of stamina to climb the Hokage monument without being a shinobi. She looked the girl over again, this time more closely. She was a little shorter than Kiora, but she only looked like she was twelve, so that was understandable. She had one feature in particular that stood out to Kiora. Aiko had well-toned thigh muscles, that would have enabled her to climb up to this spot.

"You must have strong legs to have made this climb," Kiora said innocently. "How'd you get them like that?"

Aiko looked impressed with Kiora's observation. "I'm a drummer in a metal band. Well, I _was_ the drummer. When I got expelled the band split up. Anyways, you need good leg muscles to handle all the double bass in that type of music."

"A twelve year old who drums to metal?" Kiora asked, one eyebrow raised. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Aiko grinned. "You should see me play Blackened by Metallica."

"Then show me," Kiora said. She grabbed Aiko's wrist, flipped through handsigns with her free hand, and teleported them to the apartment above the noodle bar.

Aiko led her new companion inside, down a long hallway and into one of the bedrooms. Soundproof foam covered the walls, and the room was dominated by a massive drum kit. Two bass drums were topped by four toms, with another two on the floor. A half-dozen cymbals surrounded the kit, and a cowbell was clamped onto one of the cymbal stands.

"Impressed yet?" Aiko asked, sliding onto the stool behind the kit. "Shut the door, will you?"

Kiora complied, noticing how it perfectly sealed itself into the wall. No sound would escape this room. Kiora's perverted mind grinned at the possibilities. She noticed a large amplifier in the corner. On the guitar stand next to it stood a Gibson Explorer, customized with EMG active pickups and a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system. The entire thing was black, except for the inlays in the fretboard. Even the strings were black.

"Mind if I try it?" Kiora asked. Aiko pulled herself out from behind her drum kit, where she had been tuning the drumhead on her snare.

"This is a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier," Aiko explained. "It's incredibly expensive, but it's the best guitar amp money can buy." She flipped the switch on the front. "It takes a second for the tubes to heat up. Make sure the volume knob's off on the guitar or you're gonna get massive feedback."

Kiora twiddled the volume knob on the guitar to zero, then strapped it on. It fell perfectly into place, and her hands naturally assumed playing position. She heard a slight pop, and then a low hum. She turned to Aiko, who flipped her the thumbs up.

"You're live now," she said. She directed Kiora's finger into a chord shape, then turned the volume knob up to ten. There was an impossibly loud screech of feedback, and then she motioned for Kiora to strum. A raw, distorted roar emanated from the speakers of the amp. Aiko turned the knob back down. "That was a power chord," she said. "A G, to be specific. You can move that shape anywhere on those two top strings and it'll still sound good. Turn the knob back up and try jamming along with this beat for a second."

She hopped back behind her drum kit, picked up her sticks, and went through her warm-up exercise, which was a three minute drum solo that would have put Jon Bonham to shame. "Ready?" she asked, turning to Kiora.

Kiora nodded, flipped the knob back to ten, and slammed down on the top three strings, reveling in the roar of the guitar. Aiko started into a Slayer-esque thrash metal beat, and Kiora soon found herself headbanging like crazy as she strummed the same chord over and over again.

Aiko quickly lost control of herself and was laughing too hysterically to keep drumming. Of course, Kiora couldn't hear her over the guitar, and she was too busy headbanging to see her, until Aiko walked over and turned the volume back off on the guitar.

Desperately trying to keep a straight face, she helped Kiora pull the guitar off. "I think you need to learn a little more than one power chord before we can jam," Aiko said, with a slight snigger at the end. She dug in her closet, producing a much smaller practice amp and a Squire Stratocaster.

"I snagged most of my bandmates' other gear before I split that damn boarding school," Aiko said. "I've got guitars, basses, amps, mixers, and even a PA system for a singer. And I got this wicked cool China cymbal from a rival drummer after a battle of the bands gig." She knocked on said cymbal, producing a very eerie sound.

She turned the knob on the Mesa Boogie down from seven to one, where it was a much easier beast to deal with. Now it was still loud, but normal conversation could be heard. Kiora plugged in the practice amp, a Roland, and tweaked the volume on it to match that of the massive full stack. There was a noticeable difference in sound quality.

"Okay, just see if you can strum along with me," Aiko said. She played three ascending power chords, instantly recognizable as the riff to Smoke on the Water. Kiora mimicked, and within three tries had the intro mastered.

"Good, you're a fast learner," Aiko said. "I'm not a very good guitarist, that's why I stick to drums, but if you put your mind to it, you can go far."

Aiko next jumped into a very fast riff with lots of quick chord shifts and scale runs. Kiora was able to follow the chord changes, but was at a loss when it came to the single note runs. Aiko laughed as she struggled. "Don't worry about that one yet," she said. "That's Between the Buried and Me. It's a little advanced for you. Although, you did pretty good. I'm surprised you figured out how to palm mute so quickly. That took me almost a month to learn."

Kiora shrugged. Aiko continued showing Kiora new tricks on the guitar, and soon Kiora knew the intro and verse to Master of Puppets, most of Back in Black, and had even started learning the first bit of Beast and the Harlot.

"Good thing we like the same type of music," Kiora said as she exited the apartment later that night. As a parting gift, Aiko had given her the Squire and the practice amp, and a binder full of guitar tablature. She turned to leap off the porch, and Aiko planted a small kiss on her cheek.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked. Kiora blushed slightly, then nodded. "See you then," Aiko called as Kiora leapt to the next rooftop, heading back to her home.

--

"WHAT?!" Kohana shrieked, still shackled to the stone wall of Lucifer's torture chamber. "You expect me to go be an aid to that pathetic wench that defeated me?"

Lucifer stood in silence, reveling in the pain he was causing the former queen of vampires. Kohana continued her rant, but Lucifer was no longer listening. He produced a long silver dagger.

"Give me your hand," he said. Kohana tried to resist for an instant, then felt the demon's willpower crushing her own. She obeyed, extending her palm.

Lucifer ran the dagger across Kohana's skin. Blood immediately began to leak from the wound, and Lucifer slapped a rolled up parchment into her hand. It immediately flared red, then black, and finally returned to its original bleached bone color.

"The demonic contract is in effect. I will open the gates of Hell once, to allow you to pass, but afterwards, they will only permit you re-entry once Kiora's life has been terminated. And even then only if by natural causes. Do you understand?"

Kohana nodded. She felt the shackles around her wrists and ankles open, and she dropped to the floor, landing lightly. She merely shook her head as she was escorted to the gates by two large demons. The flames parted, revealing a swirling vortex back to the material world. Kohana stepped forward into the swirling abyss and felt herself being sucked away, back into the dimension she started from.

Kohana grinned as she eyed the sun, setting behind the great stone monument that dominated the village hidden in the leaves.

She was bound by Lucifer's demonic contract to find and help Kiora, so she soon found herself walking the streets of the village, trying to blend in as much as a vampire with waist length blonde hair and the body of a ten year old can. Her powers had been severely dampened by the force of the contract, so she could no longer teleport and no longer had her unnatural strength. Even flying was a difficult task, draining most of her energy for even a short burst.

And her unusually keen senses had been dulled, to that of a normal human. So she never noticed the dark shape that passed through Lucifer's barrier just before it shut.

The most powerful shinobi ever to have walked the earth had returned. But no one knew it just yet.

A/N: Whew, that's another one down. At this rate I'll have the story done in less than a few weeks. The guitar lesson kinda ate up a lot, didn't it? I was going to have a lemon, but I decided to go in a different direction. There might be one next chapter, but don't hold me to that.


	4. The New Leader of the Akatsuki

A/N: Kyouger, thank you for the advice. I'm not really sure what a "Mary Sue" is, but I understand your fear of Kiora getting too many powers. Seriously, just trust me here guys. I know what I'm doing. I hope…

Disclaimer: Once again, Naruto is NOT in my possession. Otherwise we wouldn't have to sit through fucking filler episodes just to get to the Shippuden series.

Kiora entered her home through the back door, sliding the glass shut and trying not to drop her newest plaything. She took her guitar upstairs, and immediately plugged it in. She flipped open the binder of tab, thumbed through it until she found the Avenged Sevenfold section, and continued her attempts at Beast and the Harlot.

She made it three notes into the intro before her door was flung open. Sakura stuck her head in, her hair disheveled and breathing hard.

"Kohana's back- what the hell is that?" she asked, momentarily distracted. Kiora gave a quick strum of her guitar, cringing as she realized how out of tune it was.

"New toy from Ayame's daughter," she said. "What about Kohana?"

"She's standing-"

"Right behind you," said a familiar voice. "Now could you please move? My contract is set to erase me from existence if I don't make contact with Kiora in the next thirty seconds."

Sakura's blank look was worthy of a few laughs, but Kiora's own speechless expression was even better. Kohana strode up to her killer, and brushed her fingertips down Kiora's cheek.

Finally, Kiora's killer instinct returned, and she soon had her hands around Kohana's neck.

"I killed you, dammit!" she shouted. "How are you still alive? Every time I kill you you come back!"

"Undead, remember?" Kohana said. "It's easier to avoid death. And I'm not your enemy this time."

Kiora set the vampire down, but remained wary. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Lucifer decided that my ultimate punishment should be that I was forced to serve under you," Kohana explained, bitterness filling her voice. "I've been stripped of my powers, forced to come here, and I am forbidden to cause you harm."

Kiora shockingly found herself sympathizing with her former enemy. She nodded to her mother, who left, and sat down on the bed. She picked up her guitar, tuned it up quickly, and flipped through her tab book until she found One by Metallica. She gave the intro a try, and was soon plucking out the melody.

"Learned a new trick, did you?" Kohana asked. Her expression of distaste had not wavered since she entered the room.

"Sorry, was that not depressing enough for your emo situation?" Kiora teased. She flipped through the binder again, this time stopping on Behind Blue Eyes.

"The original version was better," Kohana muttered. "Wolfwing would have liked it."

"Original? I though it was Limp Bizkit's song?" Kiora asked. Kohana shook her head.

"The Who made the original version," she said. "Limp Bizkit bastardized it."

"Wait, you're a Who fan?" Kiora asked incredulously.

"I'm a classic rock fan," Kohana corrected. "Wolfy-kins got me started way back in the day when we were together."

"Please, I don't want the images in my mind," Kiora said, putting a hand to her head. "Now shut up while I practice."

She went back to playing Beast and the Harlot, finally getting the intro down pat. Kohana kept walking around her room, making remarks about its appearance, and laughing when Kiora's finger slipped off the string.

"What do you want, I just started a few hours ago," she muttered, licking her bleeding finger. "I need a soda. You were sent here to serve me, so go get me one."

Kohana glared at her, and then the contract's influence forced her to obey. She exited the room, and Kiora breathed a sigh of relief.

_Hiashi, tell me you're paying attention, _she said.

_I was eating dinner, _he said. _What is it now?_

_Geez, you don't have to sound so annoyed, _Kiora shot back. _Kohana's back. Again._

_Oh yes, it's quite a big thing on both sides, _Hiashi said. _Those of us in heaven are laughing at Lucifer for his inability to torture one soul, and everyone in Hell is trying to find a way out the way she did._

Kiora broke off contact as Kohana re-entered the room.

"Here," she said, tossing the soda to Kiora. Kiora tapped the lid, and then used her Byakugan to make sure that it wouldn't explode when she opened it. Finally, she popped the tab and took a sip. Kohana sat down on the bed next to her, looking through her book of tab.

She eventually shook her head and shut the book. She watched as Kiora drank her soda, and finally leaned her guitar against the wall and turned off her amp. She sat back down, and there was a long, awkward silence between the two.

Kohana broke the pause. In one swift move, she grabbed Kiora's arm, pulled her close, and locked their lips together. Kiora's eyes shot wide open, and she pulled away.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted. Kohana's pleading expression set her back on her heels.

"I've been in hell for 360 years," she said. "I need another woman."

Kiora finally pieced together the relativity of the time interval between the dimensions. Sixty seconds in limbo equaled 360 days in the normal world, which equaled 360 years in hell. That was a long time without sex.

"Alright," she said. "But I have to get off first."

Kohana moved forward impossibly quick for someone without powers, and pulled Kiora down onto the bed. Kiora felt the tug as Kohana's hand slid up her outfit and pulled down her panties. Finally she slipped her fingers deep into Kiora's pussy.

Kiora let out an involuntary moan, arching her back to grind against Kohana's hand. Kohana's tongue slowly worked its way down Kiora's neck towards her collar.

Kiora broke off contact long enough to pull her clothes off, and then let Kohana get back to work. The vampire's tongue teased at Kiora's pink nipple while her hand continued pumping into her pussy, coaxing more moans from the girl. Kiora felt the beginnings of an orgasm building, but was deliberately holding it in so Kohana would have to work longer.

Kohana did indeed start to work harder. Centuries of experience gave her an edge in terms of knowing how to get someone off. She slid her way down to Kiora's crotch, giving her clit a quick nip while slamming her fingers in to her G-spot. Kiora, momentarily distracted by the fact that Kohana had bitten her clit, came from the sudden pressure inside her. Kohana lapped up the juices, relishing the flavors of her new lover.

Kiora lay back down, panting from her sudden loss of control. Kohana pulled herself up beside her and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Now Kiora was _really _confused. Before the last fight with her, she had never seen Kohana's tender side. She was always a power-hungry, cold hearted villain of near-biblical proportions. Now she was starting to see a new side of her worst enemy. She had been completely infatuated with Wolfwing, and now something had sparked feelings towards Kiora.

Kiora stared at the ceiling, wondering what could have ever happened to Kohana to change her into that cold, cruel demon. She felt Kohana's head grow heavy on her arm, and realized the vampire had fallen asleep. With a blush, Kiora realized just how cute she was when she was asleep. Smiling to herself, she pulled the blankets up and rolled over, and soon found sleep as well.

--

Unbeknown to any on either side, one other occupant of Hell had escaped. An ancient shinobi, older even than Kohana, even older than the patriarch himself, was on the loose.

He headed for the cavern he once used as a base. It had been sealed with rock, but that was no matter for a shinobi of his caliber. He placed his palm upon the bare rock, and with a thought, melted through the stone and emerged on the other side.

Right into an Akatsuki meeting. "Who dares enter our sanctuary?" demanded one, glaring from under his slashed headband. His eyes glowed red, with a ring of black teardrops circling the pupil. An Uchiha.

The mysterious shinobi chuckled. "I am your ancestor," he said. "Hakaishimaru."

The Uchiha looked surprised. "Madara's father," he said, referring to the Uchiha who had battled the first Hokage before the creation of Konohagakure village. Madara had been the first Uchiha, and the first to possess the Sharingan. His brother, Hiashi Hyuuga, had been the first to wield the Byakugan. Hakaishimaru was the point of connection between the two clans, and he was the last of an ancient ninja clan. The Nusumigan eye was the single most powerful kekkei genkai ever used by a ninja. No one had ever seen it used and survived to tell the tale.

"I am Nejimaru Uchiha," the Akatsuki member said. "Leader of the Akatsuki, and son of Itachi Uchiha." He glanced around the circle at his companions, all dressed in identical black robes with red clouds. "We are a band of rogue ninja, from various villages in the region. Our mission is simple: overthrow the five Kages and let chaos rule the realm."

Hakaishimaru shook his head. "I can't say I disagree with you on many counts, but I can't let chaos reign. Why leave the masses in disarray when we can unite the Great Nations under our iron rule and create an empire?"

A murmur of agreement ran through the circle. Hakaishimaru grinned to himself. "I hereby appoint myself leader of the Akatsuki!" he cried. "Anyone who wishes to question my authority can step forward now and try to take it for yourself."

The Akatsuki members sank back a step, each trying to avoid appearing mutinous. Nejimaru alone took a step forward.

"Don't try it," Hakaishimaru warned. "I wouldn't want to damage those wonderful Sharingan eyes of yours."

Nejimaru sank to his knees and bowed. "I relinquish control of the Akatsuki. Hakaishimaru, please accept me as your apprentice."

The newly appointed leader of the Akatsuki was on his way to re-achieving his former power.

--

Aiko opened the door to her and her mother's apartment the next day, surprised to see Kiora accompanied by a young girl with incredibly long blond hair.

"Little sister?" Aiko asked, confused. Kiora shook her head.

"It's a long story," she said. She slipped past Aiko and headed for the soundproof room. She quickly plugged in her amp and cranked the volume to ten, flipped the effect to distortion, and chugged out the intro to Master of Puppets.

"Thanks for the present," she said, turning the volume down to a reasonable level. "So what am I gonna learn today?"

Aiko was dumbfounded by Kiora's progress. In one day, she had gone farther than most people did in a month.

"I guess we'll start on scales and some basic music theory," Aiko said. She warmed up her Mesa, and the two sat down for another lesson.

A/N: Okay, I'll call it a day for this chapter. I'm having so much fun with this story. I got the name for Nejimaru from my brother's invented Naruto character. He has some weird ability that I don't understand, so I just made him Itachi's son. As for Hakaishimaru, I've had the idea for him since before HN4LMLD ended.

Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter! Don't forget to vote in the Help Needed Character Popularity Poll in my profile page. It's been updated with the new characters!


	5. The Fall of Sunagakure: Part 1

A/N: Alrighty then! It's been four chapters, time for a touch of plot. Well, a touch more than what had been happening before. Kiora isn't gonna be the single, all-powerful monstrosity she was last time. I think you guys are going to be pleasantly surprised with what I have in store for her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Mesa/Boogie, Gibson, Fender, Roland, Tama, Zildjian, the characters I keep referencing from the crossover, and anything else the damn lawyers feel I need to list. Fuckers.

Kiora's fingers blazed across the neck of her guitar, sweeping out a blinding fast arpeggio, as Aiko pounded away a thrash metal beat on her drum kit. She slammed her stick down on a crash cymbal, and watched in shock as it snapped. The broken half spun across the room, striking Kiora's guitar between the seventh and twelfth frets. Kiora's fingers slipped, and a series of dead notes rang out from the amp, along with the screech of feedback.

Cursing, she hit twiddled the volume knob down and flicked the now burnt up pick in the trash. Kohana snickered in the corner, but in a loving way, rather than what someone banished from hell should sound like. Kiora flexed her fingers and set the Gibson Explorer back on its stand. She flipped the full stack off and plopped down on the couch next to Kohana.

"Not bad for only two months of playing," Aiko said, sliding onto the next cushion. "Are you sure you haven't played before?"

"Maybe in a previous life," Kiora laughed. "I just have really good coordination. And an ear for pitch."

Aiko giggled and slipped her a kiss. The two had gotten together several times in their two months of band practice. Kohana had joined in for the previous two, but Aiko was slightly unnerved by the vampiress. Kiora had decided it was best that Aiko didn't know Kohana was on exile from Lucifer's personal torture chamber. Aiko only knew that Kohana suffered from abnormally large canines, like Kiora did.

Aiko's kiss soon progressed further than Kiora expected, and the next thing she knew, she was naked, with Aiko's tongue wriggling in her pussy and Kohana licking at her nipples.

"Why do you two always gang up on me?" she asked, laughing slightly. Her body shook slightly as a wave of pleasure overcame her. She decided to play dirty, sliding Kohana off to the side. She leaned forward, over Aiko's back, and slid two fingers into the girl's ass.

"Eep!" Aiko yelped, jerking up. Kiora grinned and sent a wave of chakra through her fingers and into the girl. Aiko was now the one moaning, and she rolled over, allowing Kiora better access to her most private parts.

Kiora dove in with her tongue, licking all of her sensitive folds while continuing to pump chakra into her. Aiko gave a guttural growl that turned into a high-pitched scream as she came all over Kiora's waiting tongue.

"Not bad, kid," she said, licking her fingers clean. "Nine out of ten for flavor, but only a four out of ten for intensity."

Aiko was too busy laying on the floor panting to respond. Kohana stepped in, wielding a vibrator that was most likely summoned with one of Wolfwing's perverted jutsu.

"Not the pervy jutsus again," Kiora said, smiling in spite of herself. They were like herpes: you never get rid of them (But in a totally good way kyouger! Don't sic Safira on me!!).

Without a word, Kohana slid the ten inch vibrator inside Kiora's pussy until it disappeared inside. Kiora's back arched, forcing it onto her G-spot, and Kohana's tongue joined in the fray, flitting over her clit. Kiora felt her own orgasm starting, and she pulled Kohana's head into her crotch. She looked up as Aiko reached over her from behind the couch, pinching her nipples and nibbling on her earlobe.

Kiora's scream tested the limits of the studio's soundproofing, and she collapsed into Aiko's arms immediately afterwards. After a minute, she was vaguely aware of Kohana's vibrator still lodged deep inside her.

"Hey, how do I get this thing out?" she asked. She tried to push it out, but she couldn't get it to budge.

Kohana grinned sadistically and shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to leave it in," she said teasingly.

Kiora shrugged herself. "Okay," she said. She got up and began searching for her clothes. Her bra was draped over the hi-hat on Aiko's drums, and her mother's old outfit was shoved under the couch, but she couldn't find her panties. She bent over to look under the sofa, receiving a jolt as the vibrator rubbed inside her.

"That's gonna take some getting used to," she muttered. Frowning, she gave up and had Kohana help clasp her bra. She had grown a bit in the last few months, and she kept forgetting to buy bigger bras. She suspected she was pushing the limits into DDD, but she didn't want Sakura getting jealous that her fifteen year old daughter had bigger boobs. So she kept squeezing them into her old DD bras. Which was really uncomfortable. The sacrifices we make for family.

Kiora and Kohana carefully walked home, Kiora trying to keep from exposing to the general public that she wasn't wearing any panties. Kohana didn't help much, flipping up the outfit so Kiora's ass was exposed as often as possible. She only did it when she knew no one was looking, but it was still rather annoying to Kiora.

They finally made it home, and Kiora ran upstairs to shower and change. Kohana plopped down on the couch, flipped on the TV, pulled Kiora's panties out of her pocket, and gave them a little sniff.

--

Kakashi sat behind the Hokage's desk, looking over a file from a D-rank mission he had sent the Uchiha twins on. They had came back reporting that they had encountered a mysterious pair near the border with Sunagakure on their return trip. They never saw their faces, but they both wore black robes decorated with red clouds.

Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of it. The Akatsuki should have disbanded with the death of Pain, so perhaps these were just common thugs who were posing as Akatsuki for kicks. The twins hadn't reported anything else odd, so Kakashi shut the file and slid it back in the stack. He put his face in his hands and sighed.

His head picked back up as an ANBU burst through the door. "Lord Hokage! Suna has fallen! The Akatsuki have taken over!"

"So they weren't just thugs after all," Kakashi said to himself. "What do we know?"

"They are led by the son of Itachi and another member whom we haven't identified," the ANBU said. "The other members have no connection to the members of the previous Akatsuki organization. All in all, there are two from Sand, one from the Mist, and three from the Sound village, along with several who never belonged to any village in the first place."

"I'll need a list of all of their names by morning," Kakashi said. The Akatsuki had never managed to completely wipe out a village and overthrow it. They were either under brilliant new leadership or had an edge of some sort. Kakashi frowned. He dismissed the ANBU and sent for the Uchiha twins.

--

"We told you, we can't remember anything, and that was even _with_ our Sharingan," Melody said, her voice in a pleading tone. Kakashi slammed his fist into the table, causing the two girls to jump back. He shut his eyes and calmed himself.

"We need to get someone on the ground in Suna," he said. "You two were the last two to go, so you'll be going. In addition, find Sakura and bring her to me. We have to discuss her daughter."

The twins nodded and left, leaving Kakashi to his thoughts, albeit momentarily. Sakura poofed into the office in a few seconds.

"What's going on?" she asked. "The twins said something about Suna, and Kiora."

Kakashi nodded. "The Akatsuki have overthrown the Kazekage and taken over Sunagakure," he said. "I'm sending Kiora with the twins to investigate. I need you to unseal the Kyuubi first, though."

"Why?" Sakura asked. "She's already crazy powerful with just the patriarch gene. Why does she need more strength? It's just the Akatsuki."

"The seals on the Kyuubi weren't enough for Naruto, but they're too much for Kiora. They're encroaching on the patriarch gene's full potential. She's only ever pushed herself to seventy percent of what the gene can pump out."

"I'll take off enough to unblock the patriarch gene," Sakura said. "But I'm not going to release the Kyuubi. I've seen enough of Naruto using that thing. To imagine it living in my own daughter is almost unbearable."

Kakashi nodded, understanding that Sakura would not be swayed from her current point of view. "Let's get it done then. They leave tomorrow morning."

--

Kiora lay at home on her bed, plucking out a bluesy chord progression on her guitar. Kohana was across the hall in the bathroom, taking a shower. Kiora abruptly changed from her twangy blues tone to her heavy metal distortion and started playing with sweeping arpeggios and two-hand tapping. She was still working on eight-fingered tapping, but she knew she was close. She had been learning guitar for two months, and with the way she practiced, she had progressed to the level of someone like Yngwie Malmsteen or Steve Vai.

She looked up as Kohana entered the room, not bothering to put on clothes. "I think Lucifer made me completely mortal," she said. "I just got a period for the first time in over a millennium. I have none of my powers, and I have a sudden urge to eat real food. The only thing I have left are my fangs, and I think they're shrinking."

She jumped back in horror as Kiora vomited all over the carpet. Tears streamed down the girls face, and she kept rubbing her hands across her belly. She sank to her knees, her face contorted in an expression of utmost disgust.

"What's wrong?" Kohana asked, avoiding the puddle of puke to pat her on the back. Kiora lunged at her with a kunai.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" she shrieked. Kohana jumped back in alarm. "What the hell did I do?" she shouted, dodging as quickly as she could. She wasn't used to having to use chakra to power her body movements.

"You used Wolfwing's pregnancy jutsu on me!" Kiora said, throwing the kunai into the bedpost. She sank to her knees again. "I just realized I missed my last two periods. I've been so busy with my guitar that I never noticed until you said something." She broke down into tears again, so hysterical that she almost forgot to breath.

"There's no counterspell to the jutsu," Kohana said. "Otherwise I'd do something about it." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry. I love you."

Kiora was so shocked that she stopped crying. "What?" she asked, her eyes wide. Kohana, mistress of evil, the most cold-hearted killer in history, gave her a warm smile and repeated herself.

"Not even Natsuko ever told me that," Kiora said, the words barely audible. Kohana helped her to her feet. "I'm not sure I can ever forgive you for what you've done in the past, but that makes me feel better." She looked down into Kohana's eyes, and the two kissed.

Until Kohana broke off. "Ew, you taste like puke. Go brush your teeth before we make out. I'll clean this up." Kiora giggled uneasily and headed to the bathroom.

She returned two minutes later to find the carpet spotless. "How did you do that?" she asked. Kohana held a finger to her lips.

"My little secret, my love," she said. She intertwined her fingers with Kiora's and brought their lips together. This time she didn't pull away, and the two soon found themselves on the bed, each trying to win the silent war between their tongues.

There was a knock at the door. Kiora pulled the covers up to her and Kohana's chins, and said, "come in!"

Sakura entered. "I need to see you downstairs. Kohana, it's best that you come too. And get dressed for god's sake."

Kiora put on a puzzled expression and helped Kohana find clothes, then the pair went down into the kitchen.

"What did you need me for?" Kiora asked her mother. Sakura sighed, and delved into her story.

"Do you remember the Akatsuki?" she asked. Kiora shook her head. "They were an organization of rogue ninja. The last time we fought, they were after tailed demons, the Kyuubi included. This time, however, it seems they're bent on creating an empire of some sort. They just overthrew Sunagakure. We don't have a clue where they'll strike next. It could even be here. We're sending you along with the Uchiha twins on an investigative mission to see what you can find out."

"Lemme guess, you want me to use my awesome badassery to kick the Akatsuki out?" Kiora asked, folding her arms over her chest. Sakura shook her head.

"On no condition are you to engage the enemy," she said. "As an extra precaution, however, I am going to release some of the excess seals on the Kyuubi. Just the ones that overlap into your patriarch gene."

"How long is that going to take?" Kiora asked. Sakura flipped through handsigns, and motioned for Kiora to pull up her shirt. Kiora obeyed, and Sakura rammed her open hand into her daughter's gut.

Kiora sailed back about six feet, where she landed hard on her butt. "All done," Sakura said, helping her back to her feet.

"OW!" Kiora finally managed to shout. "Why the hell do you people even bother with seals? All they do is hurt like hell when you take them off."

"Like ripping off a band-aid," Kohana inserted from across the room. Kiora remembered what had happened upstairs. She leaned forward and whispered into her mother's ear.

"I think I know a way to do that," Sakura said. "Are you sure you want to, though?"

Kiora nodded. "I'm not ready for that yet," she said. "Maybe one day, but definitely not for a few years. Can you really do it?"

"It's just a matter of sorting out foreign DNA patterns in cells and destroying those cells. All I need is a sample of your DNA." Kiora plucked out a hair and handed it to her mother. Sakura flipped through a long chain of handsigns, and this time gently placed her hand on her daughter's belly.

"This will filter through your body and obliterate any foreign cells. It'll even get rid of viruses and bacteria, so you'll be really healthy for your mission, too," she explained. Kiora felt a warm, tingling sensation spread out from her mother's hand and course through her body. Sakura removed her hand, and the tingling remained.

"I'm glad I've got the greatest medical ninja in the world as my mother," Kiora said. She gave her mom a hug, and she and Kohana headed out to find the Uchiha twins.

A/N: Whew, I think that's the third longest chapter I've ever typed. The story's really starting to pick up the pace, and we're not even a quarter of the way through it. Anyways, I appreciate all the people who've been reviewing. Thanks a ton you guys! I'll see ya in the next chapter!


	6. The Fall of Sunagakure: Part 2

A/N: Okay, the first story arc has started! The "Akatsuki Overtaken Sunagakure" arc. Because I don't know what characters from the actual series are still alive, I'm going to make new ones! Yay!

Disclaimer: Insert witty remark here. I don't own Naruto.

"Two whole freakin' days and we still haven't made it to Suna," Kiora complained. "This would have been a lot easier if I could fly us all there."

"We have to maintain stealth," Serenity said. "There's no telling what could happen when we actually get there."

Kiora frowned and continued walking. Kohana trudged along silently beside her, probably lamenting the same thing Kiora was.

In truth, Kohana was confused. She knew that she had never truly hated Kiora, but instead had held a grudge against her for being a patriarch gene user. But in the two months they had spent together, she had actually grown an affection for the girl. This was what was tearing her apart. She was _supposed_ to be the evil queen of the undead, with no time for feelings towards anybody. She wasn't even sure what had made her act so evil in the first place.

"What happened to me?" she asked aloud, barely even whispering the words. Kiora's keen ears picked it up though, and she turned to Kohana with a puzzled look on her face. Kohana shook her head and turned away.

_I can't bring myself to tell her, _she thought. _Some vampire queen I am._

Kiora hopped ahead to the next hill, hoping to see Suna on the horizon. She grinned as she observed the vast expanse of sand before her.

"We've reached the Land of Sand," she announced to her companions.

--

"It seems Konoha has gotten wind of our takeover," Nejimaru said. "They appear to have sent a squad of shinobi to investigate."

"It won't do them any good," Hakaishimaru said. "We can't take them out. If we do, it'll just send the alarm bells ringing back in Konoha. We need them to see exactly what we want them to see."

Nejimaru nodded solemnly. "I'll have the others hold off on attacking, then," he suggested.

Hakaishimaru nodded. "They need to see that Sunagakure is just as it was before," the Akatsuki leader said. "They'll have to make it back to Konoha with that knowledge and nothing else."

--

As Kiora, Kohana, Melody, and Serenity entered the main center of Konohagakure village, they immediately were confused by the sheer number of people.

"Didn't you hit this place just as hard as you hit Konoha?" Kiora asked Kohana. The vampire nodded.

"There were about fifty shinobi who escaped and fled into desert caves. I'm not really sure how they bounced back so quickly."

"So how do we determine if the Akatsuki have actually taken over?" Kiora asked. "Or do we just start asking people if they've seen anybody in red cloud robes?"

Melody shook her head. "I'll recognize the two that we passed on our last mission. I can't describe them, but I'll know them when I see them."

She activated her Sharingan eyes, then cast a genjutsu to hide them. "This way I can see without being seen," she said. Kiora nodded, and did the same with her Byakugan.

They set out, walking through the village market. Kiora had to stop herself from beating the snot out of someone trying to buy a six year old prostitute. She figured it would be bad for her cover.

"There's something odd about these people," Melody said. "They're not illusions, but they don't seem to be actual people."

"Puppets," Kohana said. She drew a kunai from Kiora's thigh pouch. She flipped though handsigns and ran the blade through the air, seemingly at random. Every person in the market collapsed and stopped moving. "Just as I thought," she said. She returned the kunai to Kiora.

"This almost confirms it. The Akatsuki have taken hold of Suna," Melody said. "Kakashi said we need to find their leader."

"And how do you plan to do that when you're dead?" asked a voice ahead of them. A girl in black Akatsuki robes stepped out of a doorway. "You cut the chakra threads to my puppets. Impressive."

"Please," Kohana taunted. "A third-rate jutsu like that doesn't stand a chance against me."

Kiora leaned forward and whispered in Kohana's ear. "You don't have your powers, remember?"

Kohana gently pushed Kiora back a step. "I only need basic martial arts to take her out. Just remember, the Akatsuki work in pairs. Watch out for her partner."

Kiora and the twins immediately fell into a defensive ring behind Kohana, all searching for the Akatsuki's partner.

"I am Midori," said the Akatsuki member. "Just so you know who sent you to hell!" She charged at Kohana, leading with a kunai knife. Kohana jumped the attack, and planted one foot firmly on the girl's head.

"I've already been to hell, mortal," Kohana said. "You wouldn't like it very much." She kicked out, sending Midori sprawling. She rolled, and came up to her knees, waving her hands in intricate patterns.

"Know this!" Kohana shouted, hovering for effect. "You face Kohana, the undying vampire who ravaged this land before you even thought to try to conquer it." She touched down on the ground.

"Uhh, crazy much, Kohana-chan?" Kiora said. "Shit! Behind you!"

A massive mound of sand rose from the ground behind Kohana. She spun, took one look at Midori, and shot her a sinister glare.

Midori grinned. "This is my ultimate technique!" she shouted. "My ultimate puppet. I created it from the body of a dragon I found in a cave near Konoha."

Kohana's jaw slackened as she saw the beast that had been turned into a weapon. A hundred feet from nose to tail, and weighing in at several hundred tons, Fyrentennimar rose to his feet and shook the remaining sand from his gleaming red scales. His huge jaws opened, and Kohana felt the blast of heat that preceded his flaming breath. Kohana dodged to the side, hoping that Midori would make a mistake and roast herself in an attempt to get her.

Midori poofed away, reappearing on the dragon's back. Kohana dropped back, trying to get out of range of Fyren's fire. She slipped as she reached the spot his flames had hit before. With a glance, she realized it had been transformed into a sheet of glass.

"How dare you turn my familiar against me?" Kohana shrieked. She stood just outside the beast's range, flipping through handsigns.

"Ice Style: Frozen Earth Jutsu!" Fifty foot spikes of ice erupted from the desert sand, blazing a trail towards the dragon. With a casual wave of her left hand, Midori and Fyrentennimar took off, just barely clearing the spikes. The dragon swooped in, breathing fire down on its enemies. Kiora and the twins scattered into a building on the right side of the street, and watched as Kohana charged straight forward.

"Are you insane?" Kiora shouted. She watched in shock as Kohana disappeared behind the flames, then reappeared after they passed over her. Then she saw the faint trace of ice in a ring around her.

"Ice shield?" Midori asked from atop her mount. "Impressive." She waved her hand, and Fyren's tail slashed the air, unleashing all of its spikes.

"DAMMIT LUCIFER!!" Kohana shouted. "If you want me to protect Kiora, I'm gonna need my powers! I know you can hear me!" She shut her eyes as the spikes soared towards her, converging from all directions.

_I can't dodge them all,_ she thought. _I'm gonna die here, without her by my side._

She felt the dull thud as the first spikes penetrated her flesh. She opened her eyes and caught one last glimpse of Kiora as she fell to the ground.

_Sorry, my love, _she thought. Finally, all was black.

Kiora's face contorted with rage. She flipped through her thirteen handsigns, and in an instant was next to the dragon. "I'll kill you!" she shrieked. She summoned her Chidori in both hands, and plunged them through the puppet's neck. With one twist, she severed it, and she glared at Midori as it plummeted to the ground.

"You're next," she promised. "Except it won't be so clean." She took one step on the dragon's back, and Midori teleported.

Then the dragon-puppet exploded. Kiora was blasted hundreds of feet into the sky, desperately trying to get her flow of chakra back under her so she didn't fall.

She was stunned to find that she couldn't control her chakra. She felt the air start to whoosh past her head as she started to descend. She twisted in midair, trying to judge the distance to the ground. Her Byakugan deactivated, leaving her blind and falling the three hundred more feet to the ground

_Wha? I'm not dead? _Kohana's eyes fluttered open. She looked down at her body, and saw that the spikes had been pushed back out of her body, and her skin had healed. She grinned, and felt the fangs in her mouth back at full size.

"I owe you one, Lou," she muttered. She felt more powerful than she had in a long time. She scanned the sky for her enemy, but only caught a face full of Kiora as the girl landed squarely on top of her.

"C'mon," Kohana said. "Let's get her." She extended her hand, but Kiora didn't take it.

"I can't control my chakra," she said. "It feels like all my chakra points have been shut down."

Kohana glared, and looked up the street to Midori. The Akatsuki girl gave a little wave and disappeared in a puff of sand.

--

"I ordered you NOT TO ATTACK!" Nejimaru shouted. "How hard is that to obey? Now you've lost your best weapon and they know we've infiltrated the village."

"They were already suspicious. They discovered the puppets I was using to populate the village," Midori said. A purple bruise swelled on her cheek, her punishment for disobeying. "They still don't know how many of us there are, or what our abilities are. We maintain the upper hand."

"That remains to be seen," Hakaishimaru said, his hands folded in front of him on the Kazakage's desk. "We have no idea who they are and what their abilities are. All we know is that one of them is Kohana, who was banished from hell recently. It was her that helped me escape."

"And I completely shut down the pink haired girl's chakra network," Midori said. "That'll keep her flat on her ass for a few days, at least. Good thing, too. She opened the eight inner gates and used twin Chidoris to take out my dragon."

"She is definitely a threat," Hakaishimaru said. "But we must end this threat before it can return to Konoha. I have a new plan."

--

"THIS SUCKS!!" Kiora shouted into the air. "We finally find the Akatsuki and I can't even move after our first fight!"

"I think you're gonna be out for more than just that," Kohana said. "Someone's coming." With a thought, she vanished from sight, becoming invisible.

Kiora and the twins listened intently, waiting for any sign that Kohana had caught the intruder. After several tense minutes of silence, Kohana returned empty handed.

"I couldn't find anyone," she said. "Either they ran away or they have incredible stealth. I'm betting it's the last one."

Kiora tried to nod, then cursed loudly when she remembered she couldn't move.

"Wish I could say the same for us," Melody muttered.

--

Midori sat perched in a palm in the oasis over the four Leaf Village shinobi. She turned and nodded to her companion, a much taller man with a mop of tangled red hair and a pointed jaw.

He flipped through handsigns, and the entire oasis was plunged into darkness.

"What the hell?" Kiora shouted. "I can't see!"

"None of us can, you nitwit," Melody said, clapping her hand over Kiora's mouth. "That beating you took sure screwed with your head."

"Quit talking!" Kohana demanded. "They'll know where you are. They have to navigate by sound. I have the upper hand in a darkness fight. I can see."

"You can?" Kiora asked. There was a thud as Melody's fist clunked her over the head.

"She'll be quiet now," Melody said.

"Good, the enemy is making their move," Kohana said.

Kohana was used to the blackness. She often cast infinite darkness spells on her victims in the past, so she had no problem operating in one. The problem was that she had no knowledge of her foe. She recognized Midori from before, and figured the freakishly tall guy was her partner. She hovered above the ground, not wanting the crunch of her feet on sand to betray her position.

She flipped through handsigns, hoping to end the fight before it could start. At the same time, she muttered a fast incanting spell of the high ancients under her breath.

A combination of ice from her jutsu and lightning from her spell coursed towards her enemy.

"The dark vampire, Kohana," the man said, reappearing behind her. "A truly worthy opponent."

Kohana dissolved into the air and teleported several feet away. "My reputation precedes me," she said. "A pity I do not know the name of my opponent."

"My name is inconsequential," the Akatsuki member said. "But if you survive, you may become privileged enough to know it."

"When I'm done with you, you'll be too dead to talk," Kohana said. She started into another spell, this time a mid level gravity control spell. For her opponent, sideways became down. She watched him "fall" sideways into a tree, not far from Kiora, Melody, and Serenity.

He leaped back onto level ground, using chakra in his feet to climb back into the fight. He flipped through handsigns, and vanished completely from sight.

_In this form I can infiltrate anything, including an opponent's body, _Kohana heard.

"Damn you," she muttered. "If only Kiora's Byakugan was working."

_This jutsu takes a massive amount of chakra to execute, but the rewards are immense, _the Akatsuki explained. _It strips my mind from my body and transports my body to a safe location. In this state I can take over my opponents, like I am with you now._

Kohana felt her limbs start to seize up, similar to the way they had when she had been caught in a Shadow Possession Jutsu.

_It's useless to resist, _the Akatsuki taunted. _I have integrated my consciousness into the folds of your brain. Nothing can pry me off now._

_Spare me, _Kohana shot back. She called upon her own considerable repertoire of vampire abilities. With a thought, she became a mist, dispersing herself throughout the oasis.

"Find my mind now," she whispered. She floated aimlessly on the breeze, waiting for her opponent to try again.

Then it hit her. She regained her normal form and charged through the oasis in search of Kiora and the twins. Just as she reached the clearing, the infinite darkness spell was lifted, immediately blinding her with sunlight.

When she regained her vision, she saw Kiora, Melody, and Serenity all standing around Midori. Kiora had the Akatsuki man's body draped over her shoulder.

"These three will do nicely," Kiora said. "You can run back to Konoha. Like anyone would believe the queen of vampires anyways. By the way, I injected a neurotoxin into your brain while I was inside. You'll be dead in twenty minutes."

Kohana's knees gave out, and she collapsed to the sand. She watched in shock as her companions, under the control of the Akatsuki member, walked back in the direction of Sunagakure.

Calling on her last bit of strength, Kohana teleported back to Konoha. She staggered into Kiora's living room. Sakura ran to her side. Kohana heard her say something, but she couldn't understand it.

"They...have...Kiora," she managed to say before she passed out.

A/N: Kohana's not doing so well against the Akatsuki. That's twice in one chapter she's been on the brink of death. Anyways, read and review, and hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days.

Oh, a little side note. It's completely unrelated, but if you're curious about any of the stuff Kiora's been learning on guitar, I'll have a series of YouTube videos up of them. There'll be links in my profile. The first one is already up, give it a look.


	7. The End of Sunagakure

A/N: Oh no! Kiora's been taken over by the nameless Akatsuki guy! The third chapter in the Fall of Sunagakure! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and cannot be held responsible for any major or minor character deaths that may or may not occur within the confines of this chapter. Nyahaha.

_Great, I can move now but I don't have control over my body,_ Kiora thought to herself.

_You have an incredible amount of power for a fifteen year old Chunin, _the Akatsuki man asked. He freely went through her mind, plucking through thoughts and memories, and making snide comments the entire time.

Kiora focused her energy on herself, trying with all her will to move one of her limbs by her own accord.

"It's useless," she heard herself say. "You'll never escape my clutches."

He never mentioned that Kohana had evaded him my turning to mist. Not that it would have helped. That technique was still beyond Kiora's abilities.

"Midori, I think we've caught us a little lesbian," he said. "Her friends, too."

_Stay outta my memories you cocksucker! _Kiora screamed.

Kiora watched through her own eyes as they entered the Kazekage's mansion. She watched as they climbed the stairs and entered the main office.

--

Kohana was vaguely aware that she wasn't dead. She was more concerned with watching the shapes drift in front of her eyes. She heard a noise on her left, and suddenly her vision cleared and the fog in her mind lifted.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked. "I had to use a large dose of sedative so I could go into your brain to remove the neurotoxin."

"I've been better," Kohana said, putting a hand to her head. She felt like the room was spinning. "You saved me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Sakura asked innocently. Kohana shook her head, trying to clear it further.

"I enslaved you," Kohana said. "I've caused nothing but pain and suffering for you and your family. I've killed you as many times as Kiora has killed me."

"I've seen the way you look at her," Sakura said. "It's the same way Hinata used to look at me, or Kiora used to look at Natsuko."

Kohana sat up and looked at her knees. "I'd die to protect her," she confessed. "I can't explain it. I've gone from wanting to kill her to wanting to kill for her."

"Well, let's head back to Sunagakure and I'll help you with that," Sakura said. "Hinata will have to stay to watch Miyoko, but I think I can help you out with this." She gave Kohana a grin and flashed her a thumbs up.

Kohana just replied with a determined stare, her thoughts on the man who had taken Kiora from her.

--

Kiora knew instantly who the man standing in the office was. He could only be related to one person: Itachi Uchiha. She had no idea what his name was, but the lines on his face and the fact that his Sharingan was always activated were dead giveaways.

Melody and Serenity reached the same conclusion. They were also under the mysterious Akatsuki's control, though he did not directly occupy their minds as he did with Kiora. As such, he couldn't tell what they were thinking, or that they were communicating.

Melody and Serenity had long since invented a simple jutsu they could use to communicate telepathically. It required no handsigns, and very little chakra. So little, in fact, that even the Akatsuki was unable to notice the loss.

_How are we going to escape? _Melody asked. _It's just one step up from something like Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu._

_I think our best bet is to wait until he runs out of chakra, _Serenity said. _He's expending a lot to control all three of us, and he'll have to leave our minds and return to his own body to recover. It'll take him some time to recover, giving us a good window for escape._

_Fine, but how long until he runs out?_

_I have no idea. He could be like Naruto or Kiora and have an immense amount of chakra._

_Or he could just leech it out of his victims, _said a third voice in their conversation. _I'll never have to leave you three!_

Melody and Serenity cut off their internal dialogue and re-focused their attention on the room around them.

"The twins were plotting an escape," the Akatsuki said through Melody's mouth. "They seemed to think I would have to leave their minds at some point to recharge my chakra."

"Let one of them speak for a moment," Nejimaru said. "Tell me, how is my dear uncle Sasuke since he killed my father?"

"Fuck you," Serenity said. "And go die the way your piece of shit father did!"

"Hardly the way to treat your cousin," Nejimaru taunted, stroking Serenity's cheek. "Look into my eyes."

Serenity glared at him, deliberately focusing on his chin rather than his eyes.

"Look, I said," Nejimaru pressed. He cupped Serenity's face and forced her gaze to meet his own. Kiora watched in horror as Serenity collapsed to her knees. Blood began to seep from her eyes and nose. Finally, her orifices gushed fountains of blood, and she fell to the floor, her skin as white as paper.

"Yes, she's dead," Midori said. "That was Nejimaru's special version of the Tsukuyomi ability of the Sharingan. No one can withstand its deadly force."

"That's what happens when you disrespect my father," Nejimaru said. He turned on his heel and headed out the door. In his absence the atmosphere in the room shifted.

"An interesting ability," Hakaishimaru said. "I never expected him to have actually surpassed his father."

"We've known it for a long while," Midori said. "It's how he took on the all of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist."

_He took on all seven swordsman? _Kiora thought. _And won? That's incredible! And terrifying._

"Yes, they replaced Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki," the mysterious Akatsuki member said from Melody's mouth. "And just when they were regaining their reputation as the most powerful band of shinobi in all of the great nations, Nejimaru killed them all without even lifting a finger."

Kiora would have gulped nervously, but she was still unable to control even her own breathing.

--

Kohana and Sakura sat on a ridge overlooking the village of Sunagakure. Kohana had teleported them to this spot once she had finally flushed the last of Sakura's sedative from her mind. She cast a sidelong glance at Sakura as the pink-haired woman pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Let's go rescue my daughter," Sakura said. Kohana nodded solemnly, and the two disappeared in puffs of smoke.

They reappeared in front of the Kazekage's mansion, both of them readying their own techniques. They burst through the door and charged up the stairs, entering the main office in a matter of seconds.

"Oh look, it's mother dearest," Kiora said. "This will be interesting."

Kiora called up her Chidori in her hand, her Byakugan activating.

"Careful," Kohana warned. "That's not her. One of the Akatsuki members is in her head, controlling her."

"I've fought Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu before," Sakura said. "If we can deal damage to his body, he'll be forced to evacuate her mind to protect himself. His mind can't survive without his body intact somewhere."

"A surprisingly knowledgeable little wench you are," said the man in Kiora's body. "But you've overlooked the fact that there are four of us and only two of you."

Sakura looked around the room, eying Midori, Hakaishimaru, Kiora, and Melody. She also spotted Serenity's body laying on the floor in the corner.

"Ooh, Sasuke's gonna kill somebody when he finds out about this," she said. She flexed her fingers. "Maybe I'll have to do it for him."

"Who do you think you are?" Midori asked. "You dare taunt the Akatsuki?"

Sakura forced her chakra into her fist and drove it into the floor. It gave way, sending her, Kohana, Kiora, and Midori plummeting down to the first level of the mansion.

"I am the greatest student of the last of the legendary sannin," she said. "I am Sakura Haruno, kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf!"

Kiora leveled a glare in her mother's direction. Sakura returned the look with one of her own, and the two charged.

The mysterious Akatsuki man couldn't use Kiora's supercharged state of power, but even so, he still had access to her latent patriarch abilities. Her Chidori blazed in, where it met Sakura's chakra-infused fist. The impact shattered Kiora's arm, bending it backwards in places it really shouldn't bend.

"Release my daughter!" Sakura said, picking Kiora up by her collar and slamming her into the nearest wall. She got a face full of spit in response.

She delivered a devastating right hook that dislocated her daughter's jaw, sending her reeling across the floor.

"Sorry honey," she whispered. "I'll heal you later."

Kohana used the distraction to turn herself back into mist, and go searching for the missing body of the Akatsuki man. She floated up to the level Sakura had destroyed, and began searching through rooms. She carefully avoided Nejimaru, and headed to an iron door with a heavy combination lock. But it had a keyhole, and that was all she needed to get inside.

"Why won't this pitiful body work?!" Kiora shouted, spitting up blood the entire sentence. "She has such powerful potential, but I can't tap it!"

"Her skill is beyond your understanding," Sakura said. She looked to Midori, who, without her puppets, just sank behind a column and tried to make herself as invisible as possible.

Kohana worked her way around the tumblers and mechanisms of the lock and emerged on the far side of the door. There lay the Akatsuki's body, its arms folded neatly across its chest in a mockery of death. She re-materialized and drew a kunai knife.

Grinning like the old Kohana, she sliced the body's throat from ear to ear.

Kiora immediately became aware of the amount of damage her mother's punches had inflicted. The mysterious Akatsuki's mind fled her body, returning to his own in time to bleed to death.

"M-mom?" she stammered. "I'm in a l-lot of pain. Think you could help?"

Sakura rushed to her daughter's side, glancing up as Midori teleported away. She immediately mended her jaw, and set to work reversing the damage to her arm.

Kohana reappeared beside them, holding a dripping kunai. "He's definitely dead. I cut out his heart and froze it before shattering it into a million tiny pieces."

Kiora nodded, finally rising to a sitting position. "Let's get out of here before Nejimaru or someone else comes looking for us. We need to report to Kakashi."

Melody leapt down from the floor above, carrying her sister's body. "Hakaishimaru fled while you were fighting," she said. "The Akatsuki are temporarily disoriented and confused. We need to escape."

Sakura finished her work, and Kiora turned to Kohana. "You take my mom back, I'll get Melody and -" her words choked off as she fought back tears. Kohana nodded, and she and Sakura teleported away. Kiora climbed to her feet and took Melody's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. Melody shook her head, but said nothing. Kiora flipped through handsigns with her free hand, and the two were suddenly outside the gates of Konohagakure, beside Kohana and Sakura.

They walked silently through the village, attracting many strange whispers, which Kiora and Kohana silenced with death glares.

They climbed up through the Hokage's mansion, and entered Kakashi's office.

Kiora simply nodded as they entered. "It's them," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She gestured towards Serenity, and then turned and left. She couldn't handle the tension anymore.

All they could do was wait for the Akatsuki to make the next move.

A/N: Alright, end of first story arc. We've already had one death, and there's only been one village to fall. Four to go. Sorry about the slow update, but this chapter was really hard to write. Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter and we'll see what happens!


	8. Sasuke's Rage and Sorrow

A/N: Okay, character deaths tend to piss people off. Sorry 'bout that. I just felt that it was necessary for the advancement of the story. Besides, you have to admit that Nejimaru's cool, having killed her with just one look. Anyways, back to the story! And hopefully less writer's block...

Disclaimer: Look! A flying pig! Oh, I thought I saw a flying pig, because that's the only time I would own Naruto.

Kiora sat in her favorite spot of solitude, perched high on the Hokage monument. She stared off into the sky, half expecting the Akatsuki to jump out at her at any second. She was terrified at Nejimaru's power. It was different from anything she had ever seen. He had killed her with no thoughts, no remorse, and hadn't even put forth any real effort. It was incredible.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is a most powerful weapon," Kohana said, appearing beside her. "It is an ocular art that surpasses the Byakugan in terms of deadly power, though the Byakugan still wins in its perceptive ability. It was rumored that they both stem from the same clan, that there was a split in the family just before the creation of Konohagakure."

Kiora said nothing through all of this, preferring to let Kohana's words wash over her. She still felt guilty over Serenity's death, and she wanted more than anything to kill Nejimaru Uchiha. But she definitely did not want to square off against his Sharingan abilities.

Kohana pulled out a small, grubby book with an aged leather cover. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for, and began to read aloud.

"_The Hyuuchiga clan was the eldest of all the ninja clans. Every clan had their own techniques passed down from generation to generation, the beginning of all kekkei genkai abilities. But the Huuchiga were unique. They possessed the Nusumigan eye, an ocular art that stripped its victim of their kekkei genkai and transferred the ability to the Nusumigan user. However, the threat of the eye's power was ended with Hakaishimaru, the last of the Hyuuchigas. His twin sons, Hiashi and Madara, gained separate abilities of the Nusumigan. Hiashi gained its all-seeing potential, while Madara received its gifts of mimicry and illusion. Neither clan was able to gain the ability to steal kekkei genkai techniques."_

"I heard one of them call the leader Hakaishimaru," Kohana said, putting the book away. "I can only assume they mean this one."

"How? He supposedly died even before _your_ time," Kiora said. "There's no way he's the same one from the legend."

Kohana shrugged, and sat next to Kiora. They watched as a large snake reared its head through the roof of the Hokage's mansion, and was subsequently taken down by over a hundred ninja hounds.

"Guess Sasuke's not taking the news so well, huh?" Kiora said. She finally stood and dusted herself off.

"Where are you going?" Kohana asked.

"I told Aiko I'd come see her after we got back from our mission," Kiora explained. "She said she's perfected the drum parts to some DragonForce song."

She teleported away to the apartment over Ichiraku Ramen. She knocked on the door, and let herself in before Kohana could catch up. She heard voices coming from the soundproof room ahead, which struck her as odd, considering the room was soundproof. Kiora slid to the door, which was cracked open slightly, and listened carefully.

"How can you even consider being in love with her?" said a familiar voice. "She doesn't really care about anybody but herself!"

"But that's not true at all!" responded another voice. Kiora recognized this as Aiko. "She's sweet, and caring, and beautiful, and-"

"Oh spare me," the voice said. "She's nothing but a selfish whore who's lost her grasp on reality."

"Natsuko, I think you should leave," Aiko said. "I don't appreciate you bad-mouthing Kiora."

"Neither do I," Kiora said, swinging the door open. "Hello Natsuko. Still greeting the world tits-first? Hooker chic always did suit you."

"Ooh, what generic anime did you steal _that_ insult out of?" Natsuko taunted. "Battle Vixens?"

Kiora's next response came in the form of her Chidori. Without even flipping through handsigns, the lightning of her jutsu appeared in her palm. In one move, she was behind her ex-girlfriend.

"What are you gonna do, kill me?" Natsuko asked. "I'd love to see you try. Could you kill the one you loved?"

"In a heartbeat," Kiora said. She feinted, and Natsuko teleported to the other side of the room.

"Gotcha," she said. Natsuko fled the room, passing Kohana as the vampire entered the apartment.

"She's totally still got the hots for you," she said as she entered the soundproof room. "You can see it in her face."

"If she's gonna throw insults at me, she can go fall in the Valley of the End," Kiora said. "I wouldn't fuck her with the ancient Scroll of Sealing."

"Ew," Aiko said. "That's gross, babe."

Kiora grinned as she pulled on the Gibson Explorer. "I know," she said. She did a pickslide down the strings, struck a power chord, and dumped the whammy bar. She released the bar, and a squealing harmonic rang out from the amp.

"Let's jam," she said.

--

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted. "I understand your frustration, but you need to calm down and think the situation through before you charge off to Sunagakure."

"I've thought it through enough," Sasuke said. "I've killed Itachi, I'll take down his son, too."

"They've probably fled Suna by now," Kakashi said. "You'll never find them until we have a new lead. Then, you can join Kiora, Sakura, and Kohana."

"I thought you knew," Sasuke said. "I work best alone." He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Do you remember our very first mission?" Kakashi asked. "The one with the bells?"

Sasuke paused. "And I'm even more ahead of my teammates now than I was then. I don't need them, or you." He continued out the door and slammed it behind him.

--

Sasuke headed out of the Hokage's mansion, where he ran into Sakura.

"Kakashi said you'd be joining us on our next mission against the Akatsuki," she said. "Almost like having team seven back together, huh?"

Sasuke shot her one of his infamous glares. "Shut the hell up," he said. "You fuzzbag."

"Hey, no fair using Abridged quotes," Sakura whined. "I never got any good ones."

Sasuke shook his head and walked back to his apartment. He trudged up the three flights of stairs, his emotions finally catching up with him. The first tears started as he slid the key into the lock.

He bit back the sadness, heading into his room. He dug through his closet, pulling out an assortment of ninja weapons and scrolls.

"What's going on?" Melody asked, leaning against the doorframe. "You're not going all emo on us again are you?"

Sasuke silenced his daughter with a look. "I'm going to track down Nejimaru. He'll pay for murdering your sister."

Melody shook her head and left. There was no stopping her father when he got like this. He'd charge off to Suna, realize that the Akatsuki had left it a smoldering hole in the ground, and come back home with his tail between his legs.

She heard the front door slam shortly after she returned to her room. She waited a few moments, then ventured out herself. She headed over to Kiora's house, where she knocked on the door. She waited patiently until it finally swung inward.

"Hello Hinata," she said. "Is Kiora home?"

Hinata cradled Miyoko in one arm, holding the door open with her other. She shook her head. "She's over at Aiko's house. I think they're writing songs or something."

"Thanks," Melody said. She left, heading over towards Ichiraku ramen. With a quick leap, she was at the door. She pressed the doorbell, and waited for an answer.

--

_Fire_

_To begin whipping dance of the dead_

_Blackened is the end_

_To begin whipping dance of the dead_

_Color our whole world blackened_

_Blackened_

Kiora jumped into the main riff from Blackened, while Aiko pounded along on her drums. Kohana sat on the couch, flipping through a catalog.

"Ooh, French maid outfit with cat ears and tail," she said, though it was lost under the roar of the music.

Kiora blazed through the solo, her fingers a blur on the strings. Without warning, she stopped, cutting off the amp and motioning for Aiko to stop as well. She rested her sticks across her legs while Kiora headed to the door.

"Melody? What are you doing here?" Kiora asked, pulling the door open.

"I've been looking for you," Melody said. "My father just ran off in pursuit of Nejimaru."

Kiora shook her head in disbelief. "What is he thinking?" she asked. "You want me to go drag him back?"

Melody shrugged. "It's up to you," she said. "If you do, you might end up saving his life, but he won't be too happy. He'll definitely put up a fight."

Kiora laughed. "I've taken on an elder vampire and two Akatsuki members. I can handle a fellow Konoha shinobi."

Melody shrugged again. "Go on inside," Kiora said. "Tell them where I've gone. I'll be back in less than an hour."

Melody complied, and Kiora charged off in the direction of the main gates.

--

"Hey Sasuke!"

Sasuke paused on a branch, in the forests of the land of fire between Konoha and Suna. He turned to see Kiora leaping towards him through the trees.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, arms folded across her chest in a mimicry of Sakura.

"None of your business," Sasuke said, turning to leap away. He found Kiora blocking his path.

"Don't go," she said. "Wait for another lead, and come with us. We're going to need your help."

"Funny," Sasuke said, closing his eyes. "You'll need me, but I don't need you. I can handle anything the Akatsuki can dish out."

He opened his eyes, his Sharingan activated. "Do you really think you can handle the patriarch gene user of the Hyuuga clan?" Kiora asked. She activated her Byakugan.

"Don't make me kill you," Sasuke said, drawing a kunai knife and a giant shuriken. "I'm trying to save my strength for the Akatsuki."

"I'm telling you one last time. Come back to Konoha. Do it for the daughter you still have. What will you do for her if you charge off and get killed?" Kiora asked.

Sasuke let loose a growl, hurling the shuriken. Kiora easily jumped the attack, launching her own smaller shuriken back at him. It wasn't until she landed that she noticed the threads trailing back to Sasuke's hands from his own weapon.

"Shit! The Sharingan Windmill attack!" she muttered, slicing through the thread with a kunai before he could pull the giant throwing star back on her. She spun, attaching a paper bomb to the knife and throwing it at her enemy.

He was already on the move, easily sidestepping the throw and charging in at full speed. His Chidori sparked to life in his left hand. Kiora called up her own version of the technique, meeting his charge head-on. She lunged, driving her right hand into his left, and passed right through a cloud of smoke.

_Damn, _she thought. _He's no slouch. He's keeping me on my toes so I don't have time to use the Thirteen Handsigns._

Sasuke had momentarily vanished from sight, but Kiora knew that if she exposed herself by casting her justu that he'd just strike her down. She shut her eyes and calmed herself. She could see in a full circle around her, and was prepared for any strike.

_I've gotta stop fighting him the way I fought Kohana. He's a shinobi, not a vampire. _Kiora dug in with her left heel, using it to spin while simultaneously unleashing a wave of chakra from her skin. While she was protected by her rotation, she flipped through the Thirteen Handsign Jutsu, forcing the Eight Inner Gates open.

"Alright Sasuke, come and get me," she whispered, coming to a stop.

A/N: Okay, that seems to be a good place to leave you guys hanging. I'll save the really good fight scene for next chapter. Read and review, and keep coming back!


	9. Sharingan vs Byakugan

A/N: Da-yumn. Well, I've got major writer's block, so sorry for the long update. That, and I downloaded MapleStory and I've been busy leveling up my character. Well, I guess it's time to continue Sasuke and Kiora's fight scene. Oh yeah, disclaimer. Fuck.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise. Or any franchise, for that matter. I guess I just kinda suck like that.

Kiora hovered slightly above the ground, her signature jutsu fueling her chakra. Even with her eyes closed, she was able to see in every direction, without the blind spot that troubled other Hyuuga clan members.

"C'mon Sasuke," she whispered. "What do you have left?"

Sasuke launched several shuriken, which quickly multiplied in midair into millions of throwing stars.

Kiora laughed, spinning into another rotation. "That's not gonna work!" she shouted.

Sasuke, still hidden in the bushes, launched a fireball. Kiora's doppleganger disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her actual body was behind Sasuke.

She planted a foot in his spine and pressed him into the dirt.

"Now come back to the village, or I'll crush your spine and drag you back myself," she threatened. To emphasize the point, she added more pressure to her foot.

She suddenly found herself standing on a log. "Damn," she muttered. "I guess he and the log are on good terms again."

--

Sasuke hopped through the trees a few miles away. "Good thing the log owed me a favor," he said. "Stupid girl, thinking she can just drag me back after what happened to my daughter."

--

Kiora trudged back to Konoha, her head hung low. She had let down Melody, and she was also coming to terms with the fact of her loss.

She wasn't used to losing. She had thoroughly trounced Kohana in all of their fights, with the only real damage Kohana had inflicted being to others. Well, and the one good shot she landed with Wolfwing's Pregnancy Jutsu.

But now she was losing nearly every battle. She had beaten Midori's dragon, but had ended up with all of her chakra points sealed by the explosion. Then she had ended up being taken over by that one Akatsuki guy, and being beaten by her mother while under his control. And then this fight with Sasuke.

She pulled her thoughts together, hopping up to Aiko's apartment. She let herself in, and surprisingly found the place empty. Looking to the door of the soundproof room, she discovered a note.

_Hey Kiora_

_Your mom came by looking for you. She figured you'd beat Sas-gay into a pulp and drag him back to the village, so we all headed downstairs for ramen. If your reading this, we're not done yet, so GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE AND JOIN US!!_

_lol. I'm just messing with ya. But seriously, get down here._

_Aiko_

Kiora smiled at the letter, folded it and put it into her back pocket, and flipped through handsigns. She teleported downstairs into Ichiraku Ramen, right at Kohana, Aiko, Melody, and Sakura's table.

"How'd it go?" Kohana asked. Kiora shook her head.

"He managed to escape me," she admitted. "I can't seem to win anymore." She flopped angrily into an empty chair. Ayame came over with a bowl of ramen for her.

"I know why," Kohana said. "You didn't have the proper motivation." Kiora put on a puzzled expression.

"Think about it," Kohana went on. "When you fought me, you were driven by hatred and revenge. Because I had harmed you."

"I was fighting to avenge my parents," Kiora said, slightly defensive. "You know, the people who are precious to me."

Kohana shook her head. "That's just coincidence. You fought so well against me because you had a personal grudge against me. The Akatsuki and Sasuke have never been a real threat to you, so you never were truly fighting with your all. Even though you now have more power than ever."

She took a long drink of her soda, ending with a belch worthy of someone four times her weight.

"You've gotta stop fighting for others and start fighting for yourself," she finished. "Otherwise you'll just keep losing."

Kiora opened her mouth to speak several times, each time closing it without a word. The effect made her look a lot like a fish. Finally, she set her face in a determined stare, and drained the last of her ramen.

"Give me one more shot at Sasuke," she said. "Now he's more than just Melody's problem."

--

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

Kiora stood on the last hill before the vast flat plain that was the land of sand. "You're going down this time."

Sasuke continued walking through the sand, ignoring Kiora.

She finally got frustrated and flipped through a trio of handsigns that called up her Chidori. Sasuke finally stopped.

"How is it you are capable of using a jutsu that only Sharingan users can pull off?" he asked. "You truly are an oddity."

Kiora's determined stare never wavered. In her free hand, chakra swirled and pooled into the Rasengan.

"You're nothing more than a copycat," Sasuke said. "You use the techniques of other people, amped up using your immense chakra. You don't have a single jutsu of your own."

Kiora charged, simultaneously plowing the two energies into each other. This time, she used her chakra to add them into each other, instead of causing them to clash.

"Eat this!" she shouted. "Lightning Rasengan!"

She passed right through his body, stumbling as she did. She realized her feet were sinking into the sand.

_Quicksand? No! Genjutsu! _Her flesh began to sag, and then, starting at her fingertips, it began to simply fall off her bones.

She bit her lip, using the pain to counter the illusion. She was jerked back to reality, where she was standing dumbly with no defenses up. Sasuke charged in with his Chidori, a blur amongst the desert sand. Kiora flipped through her thirteen handsigns, forcing the Eight Inner Gates open.

She concentrated her chakra into her fist, and plowed it into the ground. A massive sinkhole appeared just under her feet, and she leapt back to the edge of it. She waited as Sasuke charged ever closer to the trap, and then he simply jumped over it.

_Damn, _she thought. Sasuke's leap added more speed to his charge as he came down, leading with his lightning-charged left hand.

Borrowing slightly from her uncle Neji, she spun into another rotation just before Sasuke impaled her. His jutsu fizzled out, and he was knocked back, straight into the sinkhole.

"Looks like I caught you," Kiora said, folding her arms over her chest as Sasuke struggled to free himself. He just glared at her. Kiora floated over him, placed her hand on his head, and leaked chakra into his brain, knocking him unconscious.

She pulled him out of the sinkhole, tossed his unconscious form over her shoulder, and teleported back to Konoha.

--

She woke him up in the Hokage's office, after she had plugged all his chakra points so he couldn't run off again.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "Or should I just have you imprisoned for disobeying a direct order?"

Sasuke glared at his former teacher. "What would you have done if you were in my position?" he asked. "Would you have just stayed behind, waiting for something to happen?! Or would you have taken action, hoping to catch the bastards before they did anything else?!"

Kakashi sighed. "It's not that simple, Sasuke. We have our duty to the village. We can't just go running off without any clues. Now, can I trust you to stay this time, or do we have to let the Hyuuga clan keep your chakra points plugged so you can't move?"

Sasuke hung his head in defeat. Kakashi nodded to Kiora, and she pressed two fingers into his chakra points, freeing them up again.

"Now, for the sake of the daughter you still have, wait until we have a new lead, and join them when they go out again," Kakashi said. Sasuke and Kiora both nodded, and they turned to go.

"Kiora, stay for a moment," Kakashi said. She shrugged, and sat down across from him.

"You did a fantastic job," he said. "Not even Naruto was able to reach out to Sasuke to bring him back, and they were close friends."

"I didn't really reach out to him," Kiora said. "I just beat him up and dragged him back."

"Well, still," he said. "You beat our highest-ranking jonin, without so much as a scratch on you. I'd say that makes you an even better candidate for promotion."

"Wait, you wanna make me a jonin?" she asked. "I'm only 15!"

"Itachi Uchiha was an ANBU squad leader at 13," Kakashi said. "You have a knack for strategy, and enough brute force to take over where intellect stops. You are the most gifted shinobi the village has seen in quite some time."

"Sasuke said something to me, while we were fighting," Kiora said. "He said I was just a copycat, using other people's justus, amped up with my patriarch gene."

"Well, I am known as Kakashi the mirror ninja. I know how it feels to be a copycat. And trust me, it's fairly satisfying beating an opponent with their own move."

Kiora felt slightly better, but still had a few doubts about herself as she headed home. She teleported straight into her room, not wanting to deal with her parents right now.

Kohana wasn't home yet, or she was downstairs watching TV. Kiora stripped down and crawled into bed, exhausted from the chakra she had expended. She crashed in seconds.

--

Kohana stood in a small clearing in the Forest of Death, staring down an aged bald man in a white suit.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucifer asked, his hands resting on his walking stick. "This was meant to be torture for you, but instead you find a way to enjoy it."

Kohana grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "Yes, but even _you_ can't undo a demonic contract. Only an act from the divine being himself can undo your little scroll."

"Be careful, vampire," Lucifer warned. "I just might go to him. You're worth the effort."

"Bring it, Lou," Kohana said. "But remember, sacrificing oneself for another is an automatic trip to heaven, no matter _who_ you pissed off on either side. Even if you appeal to the big man in charge, I can always work around you."

Lucifer glared at the troublesome vampire, tapped his cane on the stone he stood on, and vanished in a puff of acrid black smoke.

"He can't do anything," Kohana muttered. "I have my powers back. I could kill him if I really felt like it," she promised herself.

A/N: Okay, I know. It's really short for the amount of time I took writing it, but forgive me. It's hard, okay? And I've been doing a little more research into the five nations, trying to figure out what to do next. Just wait for the next big thing to happen, and then the updates will come quickly again. 'Til then, see ya!


	10. Some Have Problems, Natsuko Has Issues

A/N: Okay, I'm up late at the beach, my family is asleep, and I have nothing else to do. It's time for another chapter!

Disclaimer: I actually DO own Naruto. ... Not.

"Look Nejimaru, all I'm trying to say is that we haven't even seen him in combat," Midori griped. "Are we sure he's even Akatsuki material?"

"His kekkei genkai ensures that he is a valuable asset," Nejimaru said without looking at the only female Akatsuki member. He stood more than six inches taller than her, her flaming red hair reaching only to his chin.

"We don't even know if he _has _a kekkei genkai," Midori argued. "You expect me to believe he's an ancestor of yours, when he's not even an UCHIHA!!" She shouted the last word into the darkness, her rage finally bubbling over.

Nejimaru's rage also peaked at her outburst, and he slammed her into the wall, holding her several feet off the ground with one arm. He squeezed her windpipe and chuckled as she gasped for air. His eyes widened, pure lunacy behind them, as his Sharingan whirled and morphed into the Mangekyo.

Midori shut her eyes, using her chakra threads to pull his arm off her throat. She collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.

Nejimaru regained control of himself, and he walked away from the scene, turning a corner into another hallway. By the time Midori got up and chased after him, he had vanished.

"Fucking Nejimaru," she muttered. "And fucking Hakaishimaru, too. They both can go to hell."

She trudged back to her room, where she flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering why she even joined the Akatsuki in the first place.

She had been studying with a class of hand-picked shinobi for the puppet-master discipline, back in Sunagakure. She had come across a scroll in the library one day, detailing the life of the village's most gifted puppet-master, Sasori. Midori had studied his life story, until at one point it seemed he just vanished off the face of the planet. No one in the village seemed to want to talk about what happened to him, so she ventured out, into foreign lands.

She had come across a wandering traveler, a blond-haired man with a missing arm, near the border of Kirigakure. He said his name was Deidara, and he once worked with Sasori, under the command of an organization known as the Akatsuki. He told her of a pink haired ninja from Konohagakure who had killed Sasori, with the aid of one of the elders from Suna.

Midori had returned to Suna, slaughtered her entire class, as well as her teacher, and took the scrolls teaching the art of puppet-control. She fled into the no-man's land between the villages, where she finally met with the Akatsuki for the first time. She followed in Sasori's footsteps, and became one of the more powerful members of the group.

Now she was second-guessing her decision. And now it wasn't like she could just go back to Suna and beg for forgiveness. Hell, there _was _no Suna to go back to at this point. She manipulated a spider who was weaving a web in the corner of her room, making it tap-dance using her chakra threads. There was no proof that Hakaishimaru was who he said he was, and that was the main source of her trouble. This man had just walked in and declared himself their leader, and no one had done anything. Like anyone was supposed to believe that he was actually an escapee from hell.

She finally pulled the spider close to her bed, and with one swift move, tore its limbs off. She wished she could do the same thing to Nejimaru and his new idol.

--

Kohana and Kiora stood in Kakashi's office, the day after Sasuke's little escapade. Kiora finally had her old look back, her gray hoodie and shorts having been replaced.

"Unfortunately, we still don't have any leads, so we can't have you chasing off after them," Kakashi said. He felt like he was scolding Naruto again for chasing after Sasuke when he had ran off to Orochimaru.

Kiora hung her head, disappointed. Although, when she thought about it, it wasn't like a new lead would have turned up in just a few days. It could be weeks or months before the Akatsuki showed up again. She turned and followed Kohana out of the office, watching as more stacks of paperwork came in for Kakashi to go over.

They headed through town, bored out of their minds and feeling too upset at the loss of Serenity to be horny.

"Sooo, not that this isn't fun and all," Kohana said. "But what are we gonna do today?"

Kiora shrugged. "Wanna spar?" she asked. "You know, for old times' sake?" Kohana thought for a minute.

"Why not," she said, teleporting a few feet away from Kiora. "You sure you can handle this? I've got all my powers back."

Kiora fell into her Hyuuga style fighting stance, and nodded. They stood, staring each other down, until a cat meowed nearby. Kohana glanced away for just an instant, and Kiora struck. In an instant, she closed the distance, forcing chakra into her fist and punching.

Kohana quickly teleported, reappearing behind Kiora. A blast of ice flowed from her fingers, the result of the spell she had cast. Kiora teleported as well, coming Kohana from above with her Chidori. Predictably, Kohana disappeared, and Kiora twisted in midair, planting her feet and flipping through the Thirteen Handsigns. With one downward flick of her toe, she soared skyward, clearing several hundred feet in an instant.

She found Kohana here, flying just above her.

"Now we can use the big techniques," Kohana said. "Like this! Ice Style: Raging Blizzard Jutsu!"

Ten foot javelins of ice materialized behind her, and with one powerful gust of wind, they raced toward Kiora. She countered with a huge fireball, melting the ice before it could get close. Kiora charged forward through the flames, delivering a kick that launched Kohana towards the ground.

"I'm not done yet!" she shouted, chasing her downward with more blows. "Hidden Lotus!" She delivered one final kick, watching Kohana spiral out of sight.

"Not bad," said a voice behind her. She turned to see Kohana floating to her left. "I didn't expect you to use something quite so devastating."

Kiora shrugged and started heading towards the ground. She was surprised to find Natsuko standing beside a building, watching her.

"What do you want?" Kiora asked, not even masking her contempt. Natsuko threw her arms around her and pulled her to the ground in a hug.

"I never thought you'd come back!" she sobbed into Kiora's collarbone. Kiora shoved her off, getting to her feet.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she shouted.

"You're finally back," Natsuko said, looking hurt. "I thought you'd still remember me after all this time."

"What the hell is going on?" Kiora asked. "Did you take some of your mom's drugs or something?"

Natsuko recoiled at that one, tears pooling in her eyes. "What happened?" she asked. "D-don't you love me anymore?"

Kiora, completely confused by now, took a step back, next to Kohana.

"Wait, isn't that..." Natsuko's voice trailed off, and she seemed even more confused than Kiora for a second. "Can you trust me for a second?" she finally asked.

Kiora frowned, but nodded. "Then follow me," Natsuko said.

They followed Natsuko to her home, which only seemed to confuse her further. Shaking her head, she let them in, and called for her mother.

"What's wrong?" Ino said, sounding exasperated. She looked stressed, and the bags under her eyes plainly said lack of sleep. Then she noticed Kiora and Kohana. "Is she back?" she said. "Is my daughter back?"

"I repeat: What the hell is going on?" Kiora said. Ino motioned for everyone to sit down.

"After you vanished, Natsuko started to repress the memories of you two ever being together, until eventually, a split personality developed," she said. "That started about two weeks after you disappeared. I lost my daughter for a year, it was like a complete stranger was living in my house."

Kiora was speechless. She just thought Natsuko was just being bitchy all this time since she had returned, but she found herself believing Ino.

"Her psychologist said that a huge shock was needed to pull her back to her senses," Ino continued. "I take it seeing you and Kohana together was enough to jerk her back to reality."

"I just remember seeing that fireball in the sky, and I went to look," Natsuko said, speaking up for the first time. "The last thing I remember before that was crying on your grave."

"Wait, I have a grave?" Kiora asked, distracted. "That's not creepy at all."

Natsuko giggled, if only for a second. Kiora saw an incredibly relieved look flash across Ino's face.

Kiora turned her gaze to the floor, concentrating on everything she and Natsuko had said or done since she had returned. By the time she thought she had found a hole in Ino's story, they were already hugging, and Kiora couldn't bring herself to voice her opinion. Instead she shot Kohana a puzzled look, which was answered by a shrug.

"I'm sorry for anything I might have said," Natsuko said. "I'm as lost as you are right now. I know..." She stopped, inhaling and choking back tears. "I know we probably aren't as close as we were before, but I hope we can at least start again as friends." She gave Kiora a look of longing that she hadn't seen in months, and it completely dispelled her doubts.

"Okay," Kiora said, offering Natsuko a hug. She was subsequently tackled into the couch by her former lover.

"Told you she still had the hots for you," Kohana said, grinning, but still looking slightly disappointed.

Kiora noticed the disappointment in Kohana's face, and she gave Natsuko one last quick hug and rose to leave. "We should hang out later," she said to Natsuko. "But right now I'm late, so I'll catch you later, 'kay?"

Natsuko nodded and led them back to the door, where they said their goodbyes. After the door had finally closed, Kiora turned to Kohana.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You and I are immortal," Kohana said. "In my case, that is both a blessing and a curse. I am blessed to meet so many different people during my life, but I am ultimately cursed to watch them die and leave them behind. There will come a day when you realize the same thing. You won't really age any further than you have now, but Natsuko and Aiko, your parents and one day, your children, will all grow old and die. It happens to all the long-living species, but to the immortal ones it's hardest."

"I don't know what to do," Kiora said. "Part of me remembers all the good times we had together, and wants things to be like that again, but I'm still hung up on the fact that, well, you and I aren't exactly enemies anymore."

"That's putting it mildly," Kohana said. "I've had over a millennium of life. I can wait for less than one human lifetime for Natsuko to grow old. Even if you want to be with her now, I will be waiting long after she has passed away."

"I guess," Kiora said. "But that spark is gone between Natsuko and I. I'm not sure I could really ever be anything more than a friend to her at this point."

"The decision is up to you," Kohana said. "All I can do is offer my advice."

She turned and headed back towards home, leaving a very confused Kiora to her thoughts.

A/N: Well, I hope that clears up what's wrong with Natsuko. I hope my crazy thoughts didn't confuse you people too much.

I have a mission for my readers. I haven't been a fan-fic author for very long, so there are a few things I have yet to learn.

What is a Mary Sue? Kyouger, you referred to Kiora as this in one of your early reviews, and it's been bugging me ever since, trying to understand it.

What is the fourth wall? I've seen vague references to it without it ever being explained.

What is a song-fic? I like songs, and I like fics, but I'm not adept at putting them together, and it may come in handy later on in this story.

Thanks in advance guys, girls, and anybody not covered by those last two. Keep on reading!


	11. Filling Up the Band

A/N: Wow, the chapters have already hit double digits. Well, I hope everyone was pleased with the return of Natsuko, but I have some bad news in store. No, no characters are going to die. At least, not right now.

I have to report to basic training for the Navy on September 18th. So, there are AT MOST three updates I can squeeze in, and this is one of them. Or I could get writer's block, and this'll be the only one. Anyways, I'll be gone for two, maybe three months while I'm in boot camp, and after that I have to go to nuclear power school for two years. But I should be able to update during nuke school. My goal was to finish this story by now, but it'll probably break thirty chapters, and that's not happening in -counts on fingers- ten days. No, nine days. Sorry, bad counting job...

Anyways, on to the chapter! Thanks to all my loyal reviewers for answering my annoying questions. I know, I'm a n00b, but I appreciate everyone taking the time to deal with my idiocy.

I finally got caught up with the manga in Naruto, so I saw the bit about Kakashi's past. He is now my second favorite character, up from about fifth. Hinata still takes the top slot (she's so kawaii!!), and Sakura, Sasuke, and Tenten round out the top five.

Anyways, enough randomness, I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto will soon be sued for possession, and here we go with chapter eleven!

"So, you're on our side now?" Natsuko asked, following Kiora and Kohana to Aiko's house.

Kohana shrugged, indifferent to the conversation. After a brief exchange with Aiko, they headed in to the practice room.

"Natsuko, if I remember right, you can sing," Kiora said. Natsuko nodded. "Good, then we just need a bassist, another guitarist, and maybe a keyboarder."

"I can play piano, too, you know," Natsuko said. "Or have you forgotten that too?"

"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a bunch," Kiora said, strapping on her guitar and flipping on the amp. "Can you scream?"

Natsuko let out an earsplitting scream, and immediately the other three clapped their hands over their ears.

"Not that kind of scream," Kiora said, wincing. "I mean metal screams."

Natsuko shook her head. Kiora frowned. "Well, we can at least play the first part of the song," she whispered to herself.

Very few people had heard Kiora and Aiko play together. Kohana and Ayame were the only ones. Sakura had listened to Kiora's playing once, but decided it was a little too brutal for her taste, and she didn't like listening to her practice.

So Kiora was nervous about playing for others, even though she and Aiko had grand plans for their little project.

Kiora jumped into a few licks from Through the Fire and the Flames, warming up her fingers quickly.

"Okay, you and I aren't exactly into the same music, but we should be able to come up with a compromise," she said.

"Wait, are you saying you want me in your band?" Natsuko asked. Kiora grinned, then was subsequently buried in another hug.

"Uh, don't I get a say?" Aiko asked, raising her hand. "Seeing as how it's MY practice space we're in?"

Kiora sighed. "Speak, then."

"I don't have a problem with her being in the band, but not as singer," Aiko said. "We need someone who can do metal, and the only way that'll happen is with a guy."

"I can handle most of it, just not the screamy parts," Natsuko said.

"The 'screamy parts' are kind of essential," Aiko said.

Kiora flipped on Aiko's iPod, slipping the earbuds in and cranking up Take This Life by In Flames. She started out slow, in barely a whisper, but was soon belting out the vocals, matching pitch and hitting the screams in the verse.

_It's not so much the pain  
It's more the actual knife  
Pretending the picture is perfect  
I cut myself to sleep  
I close my eyes for a second  
And curse my fragile soul  
I scream to hide that I'm lonely  
The echo calls my name_

If I ever, If I never  
Make me understand the thought whatever  
Make me see. Make me be  
Make me understand you're there for me

Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in  
Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in

The rain drops just beg to hit me  
What now? Hasn't rained for days  
No time to play hide-and-seek  
I call on you to take me on  
Break me down to pieces  
Put me back, do it right this time  
Struggling to fill this empty shell  
Burn all my efforts  
In the end it means nothing

If I ever, If I never  
Make me understand the thought whatever  
Make me see. Make me be  
Make me understand you're there for me

Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in  
Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in

These thoughts, burn a hole in my heart  
These thoughts, will keep me free and

_These thoughts, burn a hole in my heart  
These thoughts, will keep me free and_

If I ever, If I never  
Make me understand the thought whatever  
Make me see. Make me be  
Make me understand you're there for me

Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in  
Take this life, I'm right here  
Stay awhile and breathe me in  


"PWNED!!" she shouted as the song concluded. "We'll trade off. I'll handle the screams if you do the regular singing."

(If you don't think a chick can scream, listen to Flyleaf sometime. They kick ass.)

"Okay, so do we know anyone else in the village who plays an instrument?" Kiora asked. She looked around the room, watching everyone shrug.

"I know a place we can go to find people," Kohana said quietly. "But it might be a little dangerous"

"How dangerous?" Kiora asked nervously.

"We'd have to travel to another universe," Kohana said. "There's someone important you should meet there too."

"Been there, done that," Kiora said. "Let's go."

Kohana started chanting a familiar string of words that she had used once before, when she banished Kiora from her own world and into Wolfwing's. The room faded to black, and a white speck appeared beneath them. With a blinding flash, Kiora realized she was sitting in grass, facing a tall stone monument in the distance.

"Welcome to Washington, D.C.," Kohana said. "I come here every once in a while, to feed on the homeless people. No one in this universe really cares about them."

"Isn't this where what's-his-face lives?" Kiora asked, suspicious. She looked around, gathering the scene.

"You've never met him," Kohana said. "He lives in a much smaller city about an hour and a half from here by car. Care to follow me?"

Kohana grabbed Aiko's wrist and teleported. Kiora used her Byakugan to follow her, pulling Natsuko along for the ride. They reappeared in front of a row of townhouses, numbered 43-49 in odd numbers.

Kohana strolled right up to number 49 and reached for the doorbell, only to have her hand slapped away by Kiora.

"You can't break that wall," she said, her voice level and low. "It goes against every rule of fanfiction."

"Kinda late for that, isn't it?" said a voice. "The wall was broken the minute you stepped foot in this universe. I'm Taku, known to the normal people as Brett."

"How did you know we were here?" Kiora asked.

"I'm the author, I know everything. Including things that you don't yet know yourself. Think of me as the Oracle, but in a less cryptic way."

"So, what happens next?" Kiora asked.

"As soon as I tell you, it changes," Taku said. "Because once you know what happens, you will be unsatisfied and do something to try and change it. So all I can tell you is that you come inside, because your pink hair is going to attract attention in about fifteen seconds if I don't let you in."

The four girls followed the author inside. "Dad, I've got friends over!" he shouted upstairs. There was a muffled reply, and he led his creations into the basement.

"Not bad," Kiora said, looking around. "A little messy, but-"

"So is yours," Taku finished. "Look, I wrote this chapter already, so I know what you're gonna say. If you're gonna be a kiss ass, I don't wanna hear it. And don't even think about hitting me, because I could just as easily erase you from existence with a keystroke."

Kiora frowned and sank into the only chair in the room, folding her arms over her chest. Taku cracked open a Coke and leaned against his desk.

"You guys need bandmates," he said. "I play guitar, which is the only reason you know how to, Kiora. I'd love to come be in a band with all my characters, but that's a definite breach of walls. And I don't want to go through the ridicule for all that. Hell, I'll probably lose the few readers I have from this."

"So why'd you write it?" Kohana asked. Taku shrugged.

"Writer's block does funny things. Like make you break the rules. And I wasn't feeling perverted enough to write a lemon."

Kiora eyes darted open and she lunged for Taku's throat.

"Problem, dear?" he asked.

"You perv! You've seen me naked!"

"No, I haven't," he corrected. "I don't have any sketches of you doing anything dirty. All I have are the basic design sketches. Hell, I don't even _have _a sketch for Aiko. And I'm too lazy to sketch the new Akatsuki either."

"What about me?" Kohana asked. Taku reached over to his bookshelf and pulled out the third volume of Negima. "That's you," he said, pointing to the blond haired vampire on the cover. "I modeled you after Evangeline A.K. McDowell."

"So you stole my design," Kohana said. She thumbed through the manga, then sat down on the bed, reading it intently.

"Why don't I have a sketch?" Aiko asked innocently.

Taku frowned. "Honestly, I thought of you on a whim. And the whole band thing. I knew I wanted Kiora to play guitar, but I had no way to get her there without another character that started as a musician. And I liked the thought of Ayame's daughter being friends with the girl that killed Naruto."

"Speaking of Naruto, this doesn't show his change to pervy pedophile," Natsuko said, sitting next to Kohana. She held volume 28 of Naruto in her hands. "He went pedo as soon as he got back to the village from training with Jaraiya."

"That's difficult to explain so you'd understand," Taku said. "What you hold in your hands is the 'official' story of your world. Whenever someone creates a fanfiction universe, it splits and becomes its own. That's how you were able to meet Tsunade and Kurenai and Wolfwing and such. It takes cooperation from both parties, otherwise you end up with a whole new universe that tries to emulate the crossover."

"So, in the real story, I'd never have been born?" Natsuko asked.

"In the real story, the only one with a chance of real existence would be Aiko, because it's believable that Ayame would have a daughter. Sakura loves Sasuke, who would never have time for any girl, so he'll never end up with kids. Hinata is completely nuts for Naruto, and one day he'll quit being stupid and go for her. Ino and Shikamaru is believable, but it's more likely to end up as Shikamaru and Temari. Yuri relationships don't seem to be canon in very many anime, so even if all of you did exist in the real story, none of you would ever hook up." Taku drained the last of his soda. "It's not safe here. We've gotta get out of my house before my dad becomes fully conscious and wonders why I have four girls in my room and three of them are underage."

"Um, none of us are eighteen yet," Kiora said. "Well, Kohana is a thousand years old, but she still looks ten."

Taku shook his head. "Age of consent is sixteen in Virginia. Natsuko's the only one I could touch without it being illegal."

"Technic-" Kiora was interrupted by Taku before she could argue.

"We. Need. To. Leave. Now." he said, leading the way outside. Sure enough, the TV upstairs clicked on as the door swung shut.

"Yes, I know you were born sixteen years ago, but you're only fifteen," Taku said as they walked downhill to a children's playground. "My dad's an even bigger perv than I am, he'd know you were only fifteen. That, and I think the pink hair is a bit of a stretch for our world. I don't need him asking a bunch of embarrassing questions to characters that I invented."

"So, on to the matter we came here for," Kohana said, floating to the top of the monkey bars, where she sat. "These three need to fill up some missing slots."

"There are two ways I could do that," Taku said. "I could create new characters for you to interact with, or you could hang around a few days, put some ads up for musicians, and then take them back to Konoha with you."

"I like it here," Kiora said. "Let's hang out and see what we can find."

Taku sighed. "I knew you'd say that."

A/N: Woo-hoo!! Self insertion! Well, I broke enough rules for one chapter. Now I've cured my writer's block, so maybe two more chapters after this before I ship out. Anyways, read and review, and don't get too pissed at me.


	12. Killing Time In the Real World

A/N: If you thought we were done breaking rules last chapter, be prepared for mass chaos. I also started getting writer's block again, so this might end up as the last chapter for a while. It's been a fun time, you guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the real world, and other stuff.

"You four need to stay invisible as long as you're here," Taku said. "My dad CANNOT know you are here."

He looked to Kohana, who nodded. "I'll keep an invisibility spell ready, just in case. They have limited usefulness, you know."

"Okay," Taku said. "Thankfully, he's got a track day today, so we don't have to worry about him coming home until at least six or seven."

"If you're thinking something perverted, I'll kill you," Kiora said. Suddenly, all of her clothes disappeared, courtesy of the author's abilities.

"You perverted little fuckhead!" she shouted, hastily covering herself. Aiko leaned into his ear.

"How'd you do that?" she whispered.

"I am your creator, I can change your appearance at will," Taku said, snapping his fingers. Kiora's clothes reappeared, at which point she charged at him, trying to strangle him.

He caught her hands by the wrist. "I'm putting a limit on your powers while you're here," he said. "The last thing I need is to get killed by the female version of myself."

"I'm WHAT?!" she shouted, jerking herself free. "You can't be serious!"

"They bicker like a married couple," Natsuko remarked. "I think they're falling for each other."

"WE ARE NOT!" Kiora and Taku shouted simultaneously.

"It's be a major breach of protocol," Taku said professionally. "Otherwise, I'd totally go for it," he added, with a sly grin.

He was then pummeled into the ground via Kiora's fist.

--Due to the author's unconsciousness, the story is undergoing technical difficulties--

"You didn't have to hit me so hard," Taku said once he was awake again. "I was only kidding."

He went to pat Kiora on the head, but she twitched away, and his hand ended up landing on her boob.

--Due to the main character's overactive temper, we have more technical difficulties--

"Geez, I don't remember you being that touchy," Taku said, regaining consciousness again. He leaned into Kohana's ear.

"You'd know," he whispered. "Is it her, you know, 'time of the month?'"

This time, he caught Kiora's fist before she could beat him senseless. Kohana nodded, and Kiora's face turned deep crimson.

"Relax, hun," Taku said. "I can fix it."

"Okay, two things," Kiora said. "One, I am NOT your 'hun.' Two, I've dealt with periods before. Now BACK OFF OR DIE!"

She huffed off to the living room, leaving Taku with his remaining three characters.

"Hey, why'd you kill Serenity?" Kohana asked, once Kiora was out of earshot. "It's really unfair to force Melody to go through life without her better half. Not that I've every really been one for fairness."

Kohana seemed to be reverting more and more into Evangeline since she had been reading Negima. She had requested a costume change to something more frilly, giving her a gothic lolita look.

"It had to happen," Taku said. "I had to have Nejimaru surpass Itachi, and having him be able to kill even another Sharingan user with just one look with his Mangekyo seemed pretty badass."

"You just did it on a whim, didn't you?" Kohana accused, grinning. Taku nodded.

"I'm putting a limit on your little visit," he announced. "Today is Friday. If you're not outta here in one week, I'll send you back by force."

Kohana shrugged. "Fine by me, I could care less one way or the other. Kiora's the one who wants to stay. And relax, she'll be fine by tomorrow. Should be near the end now."

"Waaaay TMI," Taku said, grimacing.

He flopped back on his bed, folding his arms behind his head. Aiko took the opportunity to sit on his knees.

"I'm bored," she announced. "Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" Taku said. "It's not like I can just pull something interesting outta my ass."

"But you do that with every chapter," Natsuko taunted.

"Aw, shut it," he replied. He pushed Aiko off his legs, which were now numb, and turned on his Xbox. "There, play Guitar Hero or something."

He handed Aiko the controller and headed upstairs out of his room, heading to the living room.

"Oh, did they get on your nerves, too?" Kiora taunted. Taku shot her a glare before plopping on the couch next to her.

She shuffled to the far end, still slightly pissed off about the author's comments earlier. She went back to flipping through the magazine she was reading, thoroughly ignoring him.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Taku said. "And what I did, stripping you like that."

Kiora turned a pale shade of pink, though her focus remained on her magazine. "Well, fine," she said. "Then I'm sorry I hit you."

"Hit me?" he asked. "You pounded me into the ground like a tent stake."

Kiora finally looked up from the magazine, shooting him a death glare that set him back on the edge of his seat. "Don't push your luck," she said.

"All right fine," Taku shouted after a lengthy awkward pause. "I do like you! I said it! I'm a freak. I fell for my main character."

Kiora answered by punching him in the face. This time, he maintained consciousness.

"With that, I'll forgive you for stripping me down," she said. "But you and I both know that you and I could never be together. For one, I don't like guys, you made sure of that when I was created. And two, I'm fictional. And no one likes having to say they made up their girlfriend."

Taku nodded. He knew all of this, but he had to hear it for himself. He got up and trudged downstairs again, and surprisingly, Kiora followed.

"It's _my _turn!" Aiko shouted, trying futilely to snatch the only Guitar Hero controller from Natsuko.

"Back off! I'm bigger than you!" Natsuko replied. "In more ways than one, B-cup."

"Not all of us end up with an overdose of growth hormones from fast food," Aiko countered. "Besides, size isn't everything."

"Yes it is," Kiora said. As the biggest in the group, she had every right to argue the fact.

"Alright, that's enough estrogen for one day for me," Taku said. "Don't you three need to go find another guitarist and a bassist?"

"Fine," Aiko said. "Where's this music shop in town?"

"Go down the hill to the light, follow the main road up the hill to the next light, follow the little side road into town, go past the big church thingy and down the next right. It's called Drum and Strum."

Natsuko hit the power button on the Xbox, handed the plastic guitar to Taku, and followed Kiora and Aiko out the door.

"What, you're not going?" he asked Kohana. She shook her head. "I've had enough of them for right now. I need a little time with other people."

Taku nodded slowly.

"You told her, didn't you," Kohana said. "That you like her. After all, she is, for all purposes, the female version of you."

"You are as blunt and observant as always," he replied, cracking open another Coke. "I got the answer I expected, and the one that was required of her."

"If it's the answer you expected, why are you so disappointed?" Kohana asked.

Taku was unable to answer.

--

"How are we going to advertise for bandmates?" Aiko said, stopping just before they entered the music shop. "We don't have a band name, and we don't have contact info."

"I've got the contact info," Kiora said. "He left his email account open on his laptop. His Yahoo ID is mangaartist2k8. We'll use that, and I snagged this before we left." She held up a cell phone. She flipped it open, and after several button presses, rattled off seven digits.

"His Guitar Hero band name is Enemysis, so we can use that as a band name," Aiko said. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"If we ever want to do more than just jam in your apartment, we need to," Kiora said. She pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

--

"Well, it's done," Kiora announced as she swung the door open to Taku's house. "We've got a poster up on the bulletin board using your info."

Taku was passed out, his caffeine and sugar rush having died out. He crashed with his head on Kohana's lap, and she was slumped on the wall, propped up by pillows.

"HEY!" she shouted, jerking both of them out of their slumber. "Good job, lolicon boy. Now get off the vampire."

"What the fuck?" Taku asked groggily. "Where am I again?"

"You're at home, dumbass," Kiora said. "Now shut up, wake up, and pay attention."

She gave Taku the info that she used on the poster.

"So you stole my cell phone, hacked my email, and used my band name?" he said.

"That's about the gist of it," Natsuko said. "Not like you can do a lot about it."

"Whatever. It's almost six. You guys need to get invisible and get ready for my dad to get home. You can have the bed, I'll just pull a blanket out and sleep on the floor or something."

"Quit being mopey," Kiora said. "Kohana can transform and sleep in the corner, and we'll find a way to fit everyone without you having to sleep on the floor."

"Whatever," Taku said again. "If you want dinner, you'd better come up now."

He led the way upstairs, followed by his creations.

--

"What the hell is this note supposed to mean?" Sakura asked aloud as she and Hinata returned from their latest mission.

_We went to visit the creator, we should be home in a few days. Love you, moms!_

_-Kiora_

"The creator?" Hinata asked. "She doesn't mean that she broke the wall..."

"She couldn't have," Sakura said. "She'd need a powerful jutsu or spell, something that even the patriarch gene couldn't invent on its own. The only person with enough power to do that is..." her voice trailed off, dawning comprehension on her face.

"Kohana!" they shouted in unison.

--

"Why does it smell so weird in here?" Taku's father asked, coming into the author's room. "You haven't been smoking, have you?" he added, half-joking.

"No, dad," Taku said, his eyes not moving from the TV screen. "Nothing's weird. How was the track?"

His father rattled off a list of cars he got to drive, and others that he got to pass, and a rather thrilling tale of a Nissan 350Z that flipped four times coming out of the last turn onto the front straightaway.

(I'm dead serious about the last one, it actually happened. I've seen the pics of the poor car upside-down with the driver still inside. He only had minor injuries, but needless to say, the car was totaled.)

Taku heard Aiko gasp next to him. She was invisible, and it was barely audible, but he still elbowed her when his dad turned to watch the TV.

"Well, I'm gonna go eat and take a nap," his father announced. "Have fun watching your anime porn."

"IT'S NOT PORN!" Taku shouted after his father's retreating back. "Dickhead," he muttered as soon as he was out of earshot.

There was a sudden shift of weight as Kiora fell asleep, leaning into Aiko, who leaned in to Taku, and he ended up pinning Natsuko against the headboard of the bed.

"It's gonna be a long night," Natsuko said. It was drowned out by a loud snore from Kiora. She kicked Taku, and the resulting weight shift had everyone getting more comfortable.

"That's better."

A/N: Well, this is the last chapter for two months. Maybe three. Wish me luck while I'm stuck in the Navy!

Thanks to all my reviewers for reading all of this junk I call a story. When I get back, we'll be starting the next big story arc, so be prepared!


	13. The Post Apocalypse of Konoha

A/N: Well, I'm back. Three long months of torture and boredom have let me write the dirtiest, most filthy writing I've ever had come through my head. It's also allowed me to develop the turning point in the story. Anyways, I've got several chapters written, I just have to type them all and post them. My current goal is to update every Wednesday.

All that aside, Kiora and Co. are in for some amazing changes. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other series vaguely referenced herein.

Footsteps thundered through the dark alley, splashing through the ever-present puddles. The woman running was not being pursued, however. In this case, Natsuko Yamanaka was the pursuer.

"Where the hell is she?" she muttered to herself. Reaching a dead end, she placed a hand on her hip, cocking it sideways in an annoyed pose.

There was a single wet thud behind her. Natsuko spun, flipping through handsigns as she turned. A shell-shocked cat scampered put of sight, slinking along low to the ground.

Natsuko sighed. Just calm down, she thought. She turned back to the dead end, and jumped back, falling flat on her butt as an upside-down face greeted her.

"It's been far too long," Kiora Hyuuga Haruno said as she floated to the ground. "Should be about three and a half years, if I'm right."

Natsuko nodded, lost for words. She had gotten the anonymous letter two nights ago, telling her that an "old friend" would like to meet at this time and place, an she had known that it must be Kiora. But seeing her for the firs time in so long was still an emotional experience.

Tears streamed down her face as she climbed to her feet and embraced Kiora in a tight hug. She stepped back as Kohana teleported into the alley beside them.

"Yeah, yeah, say your tearful hellos," she said. "Just because it's been a few years."

"Not all of us have a millennium under our belts," Kiora said. Even though several years had passed, she hadn't aged, the effect of Kohana's bite.

Natsuko now stood a good four or dice inches over her, her blond hair trailing down past her hips. Kohana was still in her ten-year-old form, looking up at both of them, but still seeming more aged and experienced.

"It's not safe out here," Natsuko said. "We need to get off the streets."

She leapt up to the nearest building. By the time Kiora and Kohana had caught up, she was already dropping down a few blocks away. Kiora put on a burst of speed, catching Natsuko as she disappeared under a manhole cover.

Kiora dropped into the sewers, Kohana close behind. "Why are we down here?" she asked, pinching her nose.

"Hakaishimaru is the most brutal dictator in history," Natsuko said. "He's been rounding up your supporters. Most of them are skilled ninja, and they escaped here, to the underground."

"What about the non-ninjas?" Kohana asked.

Natsuko made a right. "We don't know," she said. "Ayame and Aiko are down here with us. Sorry, but we couldn't save our gear. It all got torched when they attacked."

Kiora nodded. Her guitar was the last thing on her mind, though she had missed it during her absence. "Who are the survivors?" she asked.

"There haven't been a lot of casualties," Natsuko said. "Let's see... my mom, Shikamaru, your moms, Kakashi, Sasuke and Melody, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Anko, and myself make up the shinobi who support you. Basically, the people who saw you save the village from Kohana before."

"Gee, thanks," Kohana said, her fangs poking over her bottom lip.

"So most of the newer shinobi are on his side?" Kiora asked.

"Not most," Natsuko said. "All. Even the jonin are caught in some sort of genjutsu or something that makes them revere Hakaishimaru and think of you as the enemy. The normal civilians are caught, too, so when another village looks at us, it all seems legit."

"So we're fighting a losing battle," Kiora said. For almost a year after the waste of time that was the trip to Taku's world, there had been no sign of the Akatsuki. Then, Kiora had started getting suspicious about the new immigrants to Konoha. Finally, three and a half years ago, Kohana pulled her out of the village to a hidden location, to avoid a fight with all the Akatsuki at once.

Natsuko stopped in front of a huge steel door. She started flipping through handsigns, which Kiora recognized as an unsealing jutsu.

There was a tremendous cheer after it swung open. Friends and family rushed forth, each trying to snare Kiora's attention.

"Onee-chan!" Miyoko shouted, leaping into her big sister's arms.

"Hey little sis," Kiora said, patting her on the head. Miyoko had also inherited Sakura's pink hair, but she let it grow long, almost to the small of her back. Unfortunately, she also had Sakura's blue-green eyes, meaning she hadn't inherited the Byakugan, though at five years old, it was still to early to tell for sure.

Kiora hugged her parents, said hi to Aiko, politely greeted Kakashi, and finally managed to slide next to Melody and her father.

Melody's hair was now in one long braid, in tribute to her fallen sister, and she had it pulled forward over her left shoulder.

"So where'd you go?" Melody asked.

"I can't say," Kiora said. "It has to stay secret in case I have to go back."

Melody looked disappointed. "We all hoped that you coming back would spell the start of a new day for us. Maybe we could go back to our normal lives instead of taking refuge in the sewer. Maybe you could help avenge my sister's death."

She never made eye contact with Kiora, instead choosing to stare at the ground blankly, her voice sounding dead. It seemed as though she had given up hope long ago.

_Why? _Kiora asked herself. _Is misery destined to follow those around me? _She put a hand on Melody's shoulder. "It was never my idea to go," she said. "If I could have, I would've stayed and fought alongside you."

There, in response to that simple gesture and statement, Melody smiled for the first time since Serenity's death.

It was nearing three in the morning, but Kiora was curious about the underground Konoha. She activated her Byakugan, and was stunned to find that she couldn't see through to the city above.

"It's been sealed," Melody said, noticing Kiora's confused expression. "Before we retreated down here, we saved most of the village's secret scrolls. One of them was a Hyuuga clan hidden technique that dates back from the patriarch. It's a spell of sealing that blocks the all seeing eye."

Kiora nodded. According to Hinata's stories about the main family, they sealed all the walls of the Hyuuga clan home to prevent spying on the opposite gender.

She was nevertheless stunned by the sheer size of the place. No sewer line ran through here, so there was no bad smell, and the buildings were stacked to at least four stories before they reached the stone ceiling.

"Apparently, this place was built as a shelter during the Great Ninja War," Melody explained. "It was never used, but it was here for the civilians in case the enemy managed to invade. When it was abandoned, its public knowledge vanished. So only the Hokage and a few other high-ranking officials knew about it. Kakashi was the one who led us down here when the Akatsuki went on the attack."

Kiora nodded, her jaw slightly slack. She bade Melody farewell and headed off to find Sakura and Hinata. She was intercepted by Kakashi and Rock Lee.

"It is quite excellent to see you again," Lee said, pompous as usual.

"Nice to see you too, Lee," she replied. "What's up, Kakashi?"

"I thought I'd brief you on the current situation, as well as update you on what's happened since you left," Kakashi said.

"I'm exhausted," Kiora said. "I've been traveling for the past twenty-four hours. I just want to find my family and sleep."

"I guess it can wait until morning," Kakashi said. "Just don't go looking for trouble until we've spoken."

"Kakashi, I never _look _for trouble," Kiora said. Besides, like I'd ever do anything wrong." She grinned at her own sarcasm before turning away.

Kiora mimicked what happened five years ago, when she first returned after fighting Kohana. She snuck up behind her parents, said, "Boo!" and waited for a reaction.

Hinata jumped, but they both immediately spun and smothered their daughter with affection.

"Nice to see you too, guys," Kiora said slowly, slightly overwhelmed.

Sakura immediately began rattling off a list of things Kiora had missed during her absence. Kiora couldn't understand a word of what she was saying, she was talking so fast.

Finally, Sakura paused to inhale, at which point Kiora jumped in. "Mom, this can wait until morning," she said. "I'm not leaving Konoha again. I have people that need to be killed."

Sakura backhanded her across the face faster than Kiora had ever seen her move. Equally surprising, it hurt.

"_Never _speak like that again," Sakura said, tears welling in her eyes. "I will not have my daughter doing what my former teammate did.

Kiora, her hand on her cheek, stood dumbfounded as Sakura wrapped her arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder.

"It's okay, mom," she said, patting Sakura on the back. "Unlike your teammate, I still have a secret weapon the Akatsuki don't know about."

Sakura was too lost down memory lane to care, so Hinata picked up the conversation.

"What exactly is this 'secret weapon?'" she asked. Kiora grinned.

"Kohana used her powers to take us to all sorts of different universes," Kiora said. "I've expanded the abilities of my patriarch gene to the very limit. The whole time I was gone I was doing the most intensive training of my life. I'm unbeatable."

"Not necessarily," Hinata said. "We've never seen Hakaishimaru in combat, so we have no clue what his abilities are."

Kiora frowned. She had been hoping for info on Hakaishimaru so she could end the threat to Konoha quickly. Now, she had no leads, was exhausted from traveling, and desperate for sleep.

Sakura finally came to her senses, and at Kiora's urging, they headed for home. Home, in this case, was the first level of one of the four-level shelters. The interior was hospital white, with no windows and one door into the main cavern. By now, everyone was too tired for conscious thought, so Hinata gestured vaguely toward the couch, which Kiora and Kohana curled up on. Before her parents had even left the room, Kiora was asleep.

-----

The next morning, i.e. noon, Kiora finally dragged herself out of bed. She yawned, stretched, and headed into the next room, hoping it was the kitchen.

This was Miyoko's room. It was as plain as the rest of the house, everything neat and tidy. Kiora shook her head, trying to clear the grogginess from her mind, and turned back to her starting point.

The next door she went in was the kitchen, and she slid some bread in the toaster. After a quick breakfast, she went outside.

The first person she went to find was Kakashi, to see what he had to say. After asking around a bit, she finally discovered him gazing at the vast steel door that sealed this chamber.

"Regretting your decision?" Kiora asked as she got close.

Kakashi glanced back over his shoulder at her. "No, I'm just getting old," he said. "I remember back when I first decided to pass your mother's team. I wonder if maybe that was the spark that started everything that's happened since then. That was thirty years ago, though. Not much I can change about it now."

"Where are you going with this?" Kiora asked, slightly confused.

"This might be my last fight," Kakashi said. "I need to name a successor to the title of Hokage. I was thinking of you."

"No," Kiora said instantly. "The title of Hokage stays until death, and I am immortal. I cannot, in good conscience, accept your offer."

Kakashi did his weird smile with only one eye exposed. "Good girl," he said. "Now, what did you come to see me about?"

"What happened after I left?" Kiora asked simply.

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Kakashi said, sitting down. He patted the bench next to him, and Kiora sat beside him. "It turns out you were right about those new immigrants. They were Akatsuki spies, slowly gathering information about our military force, and most importantly, you. They took their time, making it seem like innocent curiosity. It was a while before they struck. Most spies do their best to get their information quickly, but it was almost a year before they came out into the open.

"By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late. Midori and her new teammate did the most damage. She's got a former Konoha ANBU Black Ops squad leader working with her now. He goes by the name Haikitsu. He helped her spread her puppets all across the village, to wipe out key weak points in our defenses. He never revealed himself as an Akatsuki until after the battle had started.

"There's another one like her, a guy named Kamimaru. He came in after Midori's initial assault. He manipulates corpses. His teammate is Sanryu, a taijutsu specialist. He's the only person besides Guy who can beat Lee. But then again, you have all eight inner gates to rely on, whereas Sanryu and Lee have to stick with seven.

"Sanryu has a cousin, his name is Ganryu. He fights with wind jutsus, and has a teammate named Udo. We're not really sure what they're capable of. They didn't do much during the attack.

"Now, as for Nejimaru, he operated alone. We still have no clue what Hakaishimaru's combat abilities are."

"You only listed eight people," Kiora said. "Who's number nine?"

"We don't know," Kakashi admitted. "We only know that his name is Orion, and he uses shadow doppelgangers. Nejimaru told me while we were squaring off."

"So we basically know what we're up against, with the exception of Hakaishimaru," Kiora summarized.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "He remains the primary reason we haven't attacked."

"I can take him," Kiora said. "I've been training with people from all sorts of different universes. I mastered swordplay from a dark elf, learned how to break the speed of sound racing an annoying blue hedgehog, and trained in hand-to-hand combat without using my patriarch gene or Byakugan."

Kakashi nodded. "If you want, you can go up top. My advice: Don't take on more than one. Always have someone to back you up. And don't lead them back down here."

Kiora was already running to get Kohana. In less than three minutes, they were standing outside the first manhole cover they had entered the night before.

Kiora now had two swords belted to her hips. One was Hiashi's sword, and the other was a gift from her sword training partner, Drizzt Do'Urden, the dark elf. Another katana, when it was drawn the blade leapt to life with fire and lightning.

"Okay, where to first?" Kohana asked. Kiora shrugged.

"How would _you _get their attention?" she asked.

Kohana floated up over the village, motioning for Kiora to follow. She flipped through her thirteen handsigns and teleported up to meet her.

"Remember how we worked on your fireball and Rasengan?" Kohana asked. "Take out the Hokage's mansion. Chances are, that's where Hakaishimaru is."

"Why are we going after him first?" Kiora asked. "Shouldn't we take out the underlings?"

Kohana shook her head. "Trust me."

Kiora flipped through the handsigns for her fireball. Just before hitting the last sign, she held out her left hand. Chakra pooled into the Rasengan, while she flipped through the last sign with her free hand. Instead of breathing fire like usual, the flames swirled into the Rasengan, condensing into a red ball of chakra.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, her Chidori appeared in her right hand. She carefully added the two energies together, like she had when she fought Sasuke.

Finally, she drew her sword. The electricity and flames sprung to life, and she tossed the Rasengan into the air. She swung the sword like a baseball bat, striking the chakra sphere with the flat of the blade.

"Home run," she whispered as her jutsu soared into its target. It plunged through the side of the building, breaching the wall like it was made of paper. Once inside, the chakra sphere binding her fireball dissipated, unleashing its fury on the Hokage's mansion. One second, the building stood proud. The next, it was a smoldering pile of rubble.

Something completely strange happened then. A massive, hundred-mile-per-hour gust of wind struck Kiora and Kohana in the face. They both instantly dropped to the ground, into an alleyway not far from where Ichiraku Ramen once stood.

"Nice jutsu you got, girlie," said a coarse voice. Kiora looked up to see a pair of Akatsuki members with slashed sound village headbands looking down on them from the roof.

"M'name's Ganryu, wind ninja," said the man with the coarse voice. "We heard you was back in town."

A/N: And I'll let you guys cliffhanger for a week. Muwahahahahaha!!! Anyways, read and review, and PH34R M4H L337 N1NJ4 SK1LLZ!!!


	14. Face Off Against the Wind Master

A/N: Well, I feel pretty good about my return to glory. Well, not so much glory, but something along those lines.

New in store for everyone: just kidding. No spoilers. Let's just say that the next few chapters will result in some definite surprises, although if you think about it, it's been foreshadowed since about the eighth chapter.

You can blame kyouger for the slower update. I've had this chapter typed for a few days, but I was waiting for a few more of my readers to review before I posted it. And dude, it's not that a chick singing Let There Be Rock wasn't hot, it was just funny because she had a man voice. My band in World Tour has Kiora on guitar, Aiko on drums, Natsuko on vocals, and Melody on bass. I re-created the band from the story... -sigh- I'm so pathetic...

Anyways, I don't own Naruto, now get on with it.

Ganryu had a long scar running from the tip of his left eyebrow to the edge of his jaw on the right, running across his features like a jagged fissure. His blond hair was cut military short.

His companion's face was completely covered, save for a slit in his cloth mask through which a pair of dark eyes could be seen.

"Dat's Udo," Ganryu said. "You don't gotta worry 'bout him."

Kiora was already behind him, falling into stance. "Eight Trigrams, 256 Palm strike," she said. She dug in with her lead toe, dragging her right foot in a wide arc and striking with both hands. She was stunned as her hands came to a halt almost a foot from Ganryu's body. She jumped back, getting distance to prepare herself.

"Check yer hands, girlie," Ganryu said. Kiora noticed the lines of blood running across her palms. "There's four of us in the world. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Gaara was Earth, he had the sand to protect him. I'm Air, I've got all of the world's atmosphere at my disposal. To be honest, I'm surprised yeh still got hands."

Kiora grinned. "Obviously you don't know who you're up against," she said. "I am Kiora Hyuuga Haruno, Hyuuga clan patriarch gene user, and you are doomed."

She clapped her hands together, summoning her Chidori in both palms. She charged in, closing the distance in less than a hundredth of a second. Once again, her hands hit an invisible barrier. Ganryu stood with his arms folded across his chest, watching as Kiora attacked from every angle, only to be thwarted by the wall of air.

"Dammit," she muttered. "How do I get past something I can't see? I'm just wasting chakra with the Chidori, I need to think of something else."

"Well, while yeh're debating, I'll go ahead and make my move," Ganryu said, flipping through handsigns. Kiora felt the air around her grow heavy. She tried to breath, but her lungs couldn't draw in the thickened air.

A bolt of lightning split the sky an inch from her face, slicing through Ganryu's jutsu. Kiora collapsed to the roof, gasping in oxygen. That gave her an idea.

"Admit it, you still need my help," Kohana said, teleporting in front of her. "I'm awesome, you can admit it."

"It's fine," Kiora said. "I have an idea."

"What's that?" Kohana asked.

"I'm gonna get rid of his weapon," Kiora said, flipping through handsigns. "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu."

A massive inferno erupted on the rooftop, consuming oxygen as it raged. Kiora charged in, once again stopped by Ganryu's barrier. She hit it full force with Chidori, electrolysis splitting the water in the air back into hydrogen and oxygen, more fuel for her fire. Finally, she drew her sword, feeling it slice through his weakened defenses. She slashed wildly, feeling the blade bite into flesh. She jumped back out of the inferno, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Kohana teleported to join her.

"Next time warn me before you start throwing around fire techniques," she grumbled, stroking her singed hair.

"You'll live," Kiora said. "I got him."

"That yeh did, girlie," said a voice behind them. "But it'll take more'n yer little knife there to take me down."

Kiora and Kohana spun, immediately putting up their defenses. Kiora's wild slash had perfectly traced his scar, slicing his face open from chin to brow.

"How are you not dead?" she asked out loud. Ganryu moved to step forward, but Udo cut him off.

"See to your injuries," he said. "I'll handle them. They penetrated your wind barrier once, they'll do it again." He pulled a guitar case off of his back. "I am warning you, Kiora. I trained using the notes of Tayuya of the Sound Ninja Five. Unless you are a master guitarist, you don't stand a chance." He strapped on a generic Strat-style guitar. "I'll even give you the honor of learning how my technique works. The strings of this guitar have chakra running through them. The chakra amplifies, overdrives, and allows the sound to manipulate shadow demons. The guitar itself is not important."

He strummed an E minor chord, and immediately the shadows around him began to distort. He followed it up with a G chord, C chord, and D chord.

With his chords laid down, his demonic shadows rose from the roof of the building. Standing eight feet tall, in long black cloaks, and with wide, bat-like wings protruding from their back, the four of them were a definite force to be reckoned with.

Kiora almost laughed as she recognized the lick Udo began playing. It was a combination of the start of the fast Freebird solo, with a bit of Flirtin' With Disaster thrown in.

"A southern rock guitarist," she said. "I can't stand southern rock."

Kiora didn't want to give away the fact that she could shred guitar, so she just listened to what key Udo was playing in and pretended to be having trouble avoiding his shadows. She tried to find Kohana, having lost track of her since Udo's monologue.

She spotted the vampire behind Udo and Ganryu, pulling a square package from his guitar case. Then, she vanished into her mist-like state and drifted off towards the former location of Ichiraku Ramen.

Kiora decided to go on the offensive. She clapped her hands together, summoning her Chidori. Then, a teleport put her behind her enemy.

"Let's see how fast your shadows are," she said, driving the attack home. Ganryu came to his partner's aid, erecting a wind barrier just before Kiora disemboweled him.

Kiora dropped to the roof and spun in place, sweeping out with her foot, hoping that Ganryu's wind barrier wasn't as strong down there.

Again her attacked was stopped. She teleported away, getting away before Udo's shadows could catch up.

Kohana appeared at her side, holding a jet black Gibson Explorer with EMGs and a Floyd Rose. "I thought Natsuko said it was torched?" Kiora asked uncertainly.

"It was still in its flight case," Kohana said. "It was spared. I've strung it with his weird strings. All you have to do is tune it."

Kiora strummed the open strings, cringed, twiddled the tuning pegs, and strummed it again. She ran her hand down the neck, energizing the strings with chakra.

She strummed a fat, Drop C open chord, the raw roar clashing with Udo's twangy tune. Kiora jumped into the intro from This Fire by Killswitch Engage, adding squealy pinch harmonics for effect.

"Bring it on," she said, grinning sadistically. Strumming another open chord, she started into a blazing fast tapping lick borrowed from Buckethead. From this, she transitioned into a Synyster Gates-style alternate-picking chromatic descending lick, which flowed into a Trivium sweeping lick.

As impressive as this was, she hadn't manipulated the shadows around her, and Udo's were starting to close in.

Frustrated, she strummed out four generic power chords. Finally, she saw a shift in the shadows. She remembered how Udo had to lay down chords to define his shadows before he started manipulating them.

She started improvising a riff using the four chords she just used. Two shadowy figures began to rise from the rooftop.

They took the form of Serenity Uchiha. Tears welled in Kiora's eyes at her fallen comrade. Gripping the neck, she started into a slow, mournful melody, sliding and bending notes, her guitar crying into the sky. Rage took over, and a set of diminished sweeps transitioned into an eight-finger tapping lick.

Serenity's forms leapt from the rooftop, shadowy kunai appearing in their hands. With one quick dump of the whammy bar, they struck, taking out two of Udo's shadows.

"I didn't figure you for a metalhead," Udo said. A quick key change brought him to a Kirk Hammett-style descending lick.

"Kirk Hammett is a talentless little bitch," Kiora said. She changed keys and started into the solo from Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria.

Udo started riffing to Blackened, and the shadows above exchanged blows in midair.

Kiora cut off her current lick and up-strummed an A minor arpeggio. Serenity's shadow kunai soared down from above, slicing all six of Udo's strings. His shadows disappeared instantly. Kohana bound Ganryu in one of her ice spells, and Kiora charged in, flipping through her Thirteen Handsigns.

She veered left, dodging the kunai that another Akatsuki member threw.

"So, Kiora, you returned," Nejimaru said. "I'm not surprised. You hero types are all too predictable." His Sharingan whirled in its socket, morphing into the Mangekyo. Kiora still stared him down, her Byakugan protecting her to an extent.

"Yes, the Byakugan is nearly equal to the Mangekyo Sharingan," Nejimaru admitted. "But it is nothing compared to this."

There was a huge puff of smoke, and Hakaishimaru appeared next to him. His eyes were not the deep black pools they usually were. Now, they resembled a red four-leaf clover shape on a black background, with a pupil in the center.

"This is my kekkei genkai," Hakaishimaru said. "The Nusumigan eye. Ancestor to both Hyuuga and Uchiha; more powerful than the Sharingan and Byakugan combined. I am the last member of the Hyuuchiga clan, father to Madara Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuuga. I predate even you, Kohana Haruno."

"So how are you still alive," Kiora asked, hovering just off the roof.

"That is for me to know, and for you to never learn," he said. "Now, let's get rid of that pesky patriarch gene."

He flipped through handsigns faster than Kiora could react. She made eye contact for an instant, then her Byakugan completely deactivated. She felt her feet hit the roof, and her chakra fell to its normal level. She knew the Eight Inner Gates had closed.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked, furious.

"I just stripped you of your kekkei genkai," Hakaishimaru said. His Nusumigan deactivated, and he turned away. "Kill her," he told Nejimaru before teleporting.

Before Nejimaru could strike, Kohana swooped down and teleported Kiora and herself to just outside the steel door to the shelter.

Kiora was already flipping through her thirteen handsigns, fully intending to go back up and tear Nejimaru a new one.

Nothing happened. Confused, she flipped through them again. Nothing. A third try resulted in the same. Finally, frustration began to take over, and she called out each sign as she hit it.

"Horse, Bird, Tiger, Ox, Rabbit, Monkey, Boar, Rat, Sheep, Dragon, Snake, Dog, and Cat," she said. Again nothing. She tested the telepathic link to Hiashi, but it felt severed as well.

Fear started to replace frustration, and she tried activating her Byakugan.

"It won't work," Kohana said. "Open the door, and I'll explain when we're inside."

Kiora swallowed, nodded, and flipped through the handsigns for the unsealing jutsu, and to her relief, the door opened.

Kiora immediately noticed that she had expended most of her chakra on the jutsu, but Kohana didn't give her time to dwell on it. She made a beeline for Sakura and Hinata's house, pulling Kiora behind.

She shoved her roughly into the bathroom. "Look," she said, pointing at the mirror. Kiora instantly knew why her Byakugan wouldn't activate.

Her eyes, always grey and pupil-less, were now the same shade of blue-green as Sakura's.

A/N: Well, there it is. The big turning point. Hope it's not too much for your minds to grasp.


	15. What! Powerless?

A/N: Well, I have several chapters typed, but I decided to stick to an update schedule this time, so if I get writer's block, I have some stuff I can post while I'm trying to write. Just a short chapter today, mostly here for explanations.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the now powerless kunoichi that is Kiora. Poor kid...

"So what happened?" Kiora asked, sitting in a chair in the living room. Sakura was manipulating a sample of her daughter's blood under a microscope, using chakra to observe the DNA.

"Well, the best way to explain it is this," Sakura said, sitting back on the couch. "You know how every trait has a dominant and recessive gene, right? Well, all kekkei genkai abilities are dominant, like Hinata's Byakugan. If you were to have two kekkei genkais for one trait, one of three things would happen: A) They cancel each other out, which is the typical result. B) There is a partial combination of some abilities of each. C) They completely mesh, combining all the abilities of each and often adding new abilities as well. We think this is how Pain's Rin'negan started.

"Other things tend to be dominant," she continued. "The Haruno clan's pink hair is passed along on the X chromosome, so only girls will inherit it.

"Now, as for Hakaishimaru's jutsu," she said, pausing for a second. "It seems to have fundamentally altered your DNA, targeting the Hyuuga kekkei genkai. Your Byakugan should be overriding these blue eyes, but the gene isn't there. It's a tangled, twisted mess of base pairs. Your eyes, thankfully, avoided mutation from the faulty DNA by switching to the recessive trait, my eyes. Unfortunately, your patriarch gene is in the same sequence as the Byakugan, so it was destroyed as well. Honestly, I've never seen any jutsu that is capable of completely obliterating a person's DNA.

"You said it was an ocular kekkei genkai, so that leads me to believe it attacked the brain stem through your optic nerve. If you hadn't made eye contact, you'd have been fine."

"Can it be fixed?" Kiora asked, already anticipating the answer.

"Most likely not," Sakura said. "I might be able to splice the gene back in, using Hinata's Byakugan gene, but I don't know for sure if it'll work, and even if it restores your Byakugan, it might not give you back your patriarch gene."

"So I'm basically stuck as a regular shinobi," Kiora said, pouting. "So much for driving out the Akatsuki. I can't even last one decent fight against them before I end up powerless."

"Relax, you aren't powerless," said a voice. Kiora looked up to see Kohana and Kakashi standing in the living room. "You still have your vampire abilities," Kohana continued.

"And the Kyuubi," Kakashi added. "Which is why I'm here. Sakura, I need you to unseal the demon."

"No," Sakura said, folding her arms across her chest. "We had this discussion five years ago. My opinion has not changed."

"She needs it to fight them," Kakashi argued, his voice almost pleading.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Kiora asked. "Seeing as how it's still my body. I may look fifteen, but I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions."

Kakashi looked taken aback. He had figured that Kiora would want to return to something similar to her former power.

"I want to find my limits," Kiora said. "It's been so long since my patriarch gene was activated that I have no idea what my base abilities are. I need to figure out where I stand, and then we can go from there. Does that please both of you?"

Sakura and Kakashi were both speechless. Kohana smirked to herself.

"I need to know what I can and can't do," Kiora continued. "Kakashi, no offense, but I'd rather have Sasuke train me. I know you're busy with Hokage stuff."

Kiora had two reasons for doing this. Kakashi was getting old and over-attached, like a grandparent, and she wanted to step up for Melody and give her a companion again. Before Kakashi could come up with a counter-argument, she grabbed Kohana by the hand and the two headed out of the house.

"Your daughter inherited your attitude," Kakashi remarked.

"Really?" Sakura asked. "I've always thought she took more after Hinata. She was always the stronger one out of the two of us."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. Things in Konoha were changing. The world was a vast place, and the Hidden Villages couldn't afford to stay hidden for much longer. Even if the Akatsuki were driven out with no casualties, the population was now so low that it would never recover to what it once was, unless they started to open up to the outside world.

Kakashi turned and left in silence, worries adding more lines to his face.

-----

"You did this for Melody, didn't you?" Kohana accused. Kiora didn't respond. "You remember what I said about fighting for others. You need to fight for you."

Kiora spun, clapping her hands together. The Chidori still sparked to life in both palms, but the one in her left hand died out nearly instantly, and the right followed soon after.

"You've expended most of your chakra," Kohana said. "Wait a while, and try it again. It'll probably work, since you at least managed to start it this time."

The two continued walking in silence, until they realized that they had no idea where Sasuke lived. Kiora flipped through the handsigns for her Byakugan, forgetting that she didn't have it.

"Fuck," she muttered, hanging her head. She dropped to her knees, tears glistening on her cheeks. "Why did this happen to me? Why the hell am I the one person who has to deal with every fucking thing that happens to this village? After I beat you the first time, all I wanted to do was go back to my normal life with Natsuko. But no, you decided to come back, and you fling me into limbo where everything jumps forward a year without me, and I lose her. And then, shocker of all shockers, I end up with the person I considered my greatest enemy. What happened to my normal life, to school, and friends, and free time?!"

Her chest heaved with her breathing, trying to calm herself down. "I look at the world around me, and it ages and changes. Natsuko, Melody, Aiko, Miyoko, and hell, Kakashi, they all keep getting older. Fuck, Aiko's seventeen now. She's supposedly older than I am. I'm stuck in this same teenage body for eternity."

"Being immortal is one of the most difficult things to cope with," Kohana said. "I was only ten when I became what I am. I know what you're going through. I've never told you my tale, have I?"

Kiora shook her head, folding her legs into a cross-legged position. Kohana sat facing her.

"It all started seven centuries ago, out of the hidden world," she began.

-----

"Milady, your tea is waiting for you," said the servant, bowing elegantly. "How would you like it?"

"It is fine as it is," replied the young lady of the castle. Even at ten, her beauty was stunning. Her long blond hair and bright blue eyes were the envy of women three times her age, and every man within a hundred-mile radius with a lolita complex wanted a shot at her.

She sipped her tea in silence, having dismissed her servant. Drinking hot tea always made her sleepy, so she-

-----

"Um, question," Kiora said. "What does you drinking tea and being hot have to do with being a vampire?"

Kohana smacked her over the head with a harisen fan. "Shut up and listen. I'll cut to the chase, if that'll make you happy."

-----

Kohana's father, a powerful noble, had acquired many enemies during his life. One of these enemies, a powerful archmage known only as Lucien, decided to get even with him. Kohana was too young to know or remember what exactly her father had done to earn so many enemies.

Lucien's method of revenge involved the lord's beloved daughter, and he sent his primary minion, a vampire who, at the time, was the oldest of his kind.

-----

"I was bitten, because of my father's ways, over a millennium ago," Kohana said. "But I was still practically powerless, like you are now. I had fangs, but I was human in every other aspect. In anger, I killed my father, murdered Lucien in his sleep, and fled to this land, where I took refuge in the cavern complex you found me in.

"One day, the Hyuuga clan was celebrating the awakening of another patriarch gene carrier, and I snuck out to see the festival."

"They saw your fangs, and attacked you," Kiora said, remembering the scroll Krenos had let her read in the other world. "And in the resulting fight, you killed the patriarch gene user, and absorbed his spirit, which awakened your vampire abilities to their full extent."

"Exactly," Kohana said. "We need to awaken your abilities. You have some powers, teleportation and flight, but there are many more things you have yet to learn."

Kiora climbed to her feet. "First, let's find Melody."

A/N: Yeah, like I said, short chapter. I haven't posted for a while because I couldn't think of a good way to have Kohana tell her story, which will play an important role in the entire next book. In all truth, the last three chapters were originally one chapter that I had written during boot camp, but when I typed them, I added a few things and broke them up. Anyways, read and review, and the next chapter should be up faster than this one was.


	16. Kyuubi Unleashed: Not Powerless Anymore!

A/N: I know, I'm a lazy bastard, not updating for so long. Would it help if I told you that there'll be a lemon not this chapter, but the next one? Would that spark some incentive to pick up my story again?

Anyways, enough begging for mercy, I'll get to work now... Enjoy. Oh, and as always, I don't own Naruto, or the song Cold by Crossfade.

"Come on, push harder!" Sasuke shouted. "Hold it as long as you can!"

Kiora had nearly lost consciousness from lack of chakra. She stood on the surface of the water of a fountain in the center of the cavernous underground shelter.

She hadn't moved for over twenty-three and a half hours. Sasuke had let her rest to rebuild her chakra, and then told her to stand in the fountain until she ran out.

Sasuke checked his watch. "Okay, stop," he said. Kiora let herself fall into the knee-deep water. "Pretty good, for a chunin. Not quite up to jonin standards, though. You have plenty of chakra, but your control is very erratic. It comes from having had so much that you never worried about it. Take the rest of the day to rest, we'll start training tomorrow."

Kiora pulled herself out of the fountain, resting her hands on her knees. Sasuke turned and walked off, and Melody rushed to her side.

"You made it to the full twenty-four hours," she said. "That itself is an accomplishment. The only people who can do it and still have chakra left are your parents, my dad, and Kakashi. He's actually rally impressed, he just doesn't show it very well."

Kiora was too exhausted for words. She waved a vague goodbye to Melody, turning for home. It took every ounce of strength just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

She collapsed on the couch as soon as she entered, despite the fact that it was only eight in the morning.

Barely conscious, she thought she saw Kohana enter the room, and was pretty sure she felt a head on her arm, but she drifted to sleep before she could be certain.

"I love you," Kohana whispered, watching Kiora's eyes completely close. "Please forgive me for this. It will help in the long run."

Kohana flipped through an incredibly lengthy sequence of handsigns. Her right hand glowed as she hit the last one. With the other hand she pulled up Kiora's hoodie, exposing her abdomen with a vast array of seals visible in the glow. She drove her glowing hand into the center of the seals, unleashing all but the original containment spell.

Kiora's eyes jerked back open, their pupils narrowing to slits. Her hair changed color, from pink to fox-fur orange. She lifted one arm, flinging Kohana across the room, through the wooden front door, and out into the cavern. Kohana was already recovering, leading Kiora towards the door into the cavern. Grinning to herself, she unsealed it and fled through the sewers up to the surface.

-----

Hakaishimaru sat alone over the vast Konoha gates, more confused than he had ever been. He had stolen Kiora's Byakugan and patriarch gene, and had begun analyzing it.

The sheer amount of chakra it contained would tear any shinobi apart, even one of his caliber. Using it to open _any _of the Eight Inner Gates was suicide. Yet she was capable of opening all of the Inner Gates without any negative side effects.

Hakaishimaru put it to the back of his mind. Now that he had stripped her of that power, she no longer posed a threat.

-----

Kiora was aware of rage. She was blind, deaf, and unfeeling beyond that. She was aware of herself and her surroundings, though. Even though she couldn't see, she knew what had happened.

Kohana had stolen the notes from Tsunade's seals and used them to unseal the Kyuubi. Finally free after so many years, it went on a rampage in Kiora's body, and it had barely tapped its potential.

_Damn Fox, _she thought. _This is my body!_

She was stunned when she got a reply. _If you handled this the way you used your patriarch gene, we could be more powerful than ever before._

Now Kiora's own rage started to bubble up. She pushed back against the demon, wrenching back control of her body. Only then could she view the devastation around her.

The demon hadn't destroyed buildings or monuments, but it had single-handedly slaughtered the jonin that had been enmeshed in the Akatsuki's spell. She had several kunai and shuriken sticking out of her legs, and the sleeves of her hoodie were shredded and drenched in blood.

She pulled the knives and stars out of her skin, watching as the Kyuubi's power mended the wounds.

Aside from the sheer amount of bodies surrounding her, she felt fairly normal, compared to her power beforehand.

She flipped through handsigns and teleported back to the cavern, where she found Kohana waiting for her.

"How was it?" the vampire asked, seeming very pleased with her self. Kiora flipped through the signs for the door seal, ignoring her for the time being.

She now found herself wide awake with nothing to do, so she headed home. She stepped through the shredded wooden door and picked up her guitar, still strung with Udo's chakra-infused strings. She re-tuned it to Drop D and strummed out an acoustic riff.

_Looking back at me it seems that I never really got it right__  
I never stopped to think of you__  
I'm always wrapped up in things I cannot win__  
You are the antidote that gets me by__  
Something strong like a drug that gets me  
High_

_What I really meant to say __  
Is I'm sorry for the way  
__I am  
__I never meant to be so cold  
Never meant to be so_

_Cold to you I'm sorry 'bout all the lies  
__Maybe in a different light__  
You could see me stand on my own again__  
'Cause now I can see  
__You were the antidote that got me by__  
Something strong like a drug that got me  
High_

_What I really meant to say__  
Is I'm sorry for the way  
__I am  
__I never meant to be so cold  
Never meant to be so cold_

She flipped the switch from the rhythm to lead pickup, and jumped into the solo, using chakra to manipulate the tone.

_I never really__  
Wanted you to see__  
The screwed up side of me that I keep  
__Locked inside of me so deep__  
It always seems to get to me  
__I never really__  
Wanted you to go__  
So many things you should have known  
__I guess for me there's just no hope  
I never meant to be so cold_

_What I really meant to say__  
Is I'm sorry for the way__  
I am__  
I never meant to be so cold  
Never meant to be so cold_

A single tear rolled down her cheek as the last note rang out into the room.

"That felt good," she whispered. She went to wipe her cheek, realizing she still had her ruined hoodie on. She leaned her guitar against the couch, pulled the remnants of her sweatshirt off over her head, and tossed it in the trashcan in the kitchen.

She headed to her room, where she stripped down and pulled on fresh jeans and a black tee shirt. She looked herself over in the mirror, frowning at her red hair and blue eyes. She was so used to pink and grey that she almost felt like a different person.

"Why?" she whispered. "What did I do?"

It was times like this that she missed the telepathic link to Hiashi.

_You still have me, _she heard the Kyuubi say. _Or do I have to completely take over your body again?_

Kiora rolled her eyes, watching her pupils narrow to slits.

_I only used a fraction of my power last time, _the demon said. _Your body is genetically advanced to handle that gene of yours If you can learn to open the Eight Inner Gates by yourself, I have something your mother can prove to you._

Kiora frowned, slightly confused. "Alright, you damn fox," she said. Finally feeling sleepy, she crawled into bed. "I'll find Lee tomorrow."

She flipped through four handsigns, a simple jutsu that Sakura had taught her to relax the mind and body. She pulled the covers up to her chin, falling asleep in seconds.

-----

"Why the hell can't I get it?" Kiora shouted in anger, punching the ground. Normally, this would have left a small crater, but now it left all of her knuckles bleeding.

She watched as the Kyuubi's power healed the wounds, leaving her skin whole and unmarked.

Kiora desperately missed her patriarch gene and Byakugan. The Kyuubi was a little too bloodthirsty, and she couldn't completely shut out the demon. She often had to use all of her concentration to keep its chakra from taking control.

"Well, maybe you should try using the Kyuubi's chakra," Lee suggested. He was breathing hard, having opened the first three gates over a dozen times.

Kiora frowned. As much as she hated to admit, the only way she was going to open the gates was to allow the Kyuubi's chakra to come loose.

She felt rage boiling inside her, and the red chakra with it.

_You're not getting control this time, _she swore.

_Be my guest, _the demon replied. _Let's see what you can do with all my chakra._

Kiora's fingernails grew into claws, while her pupils narrowed down to slits. Then, even more changes started to occur. She felt her ears melt into her head, replaced by furry fox ears on top. Finally, a bushy tail sprouted from the base of her spine, tearing through the seat of her pants.

She felt the chakra building inside, until it finally had nowhere else to go. Kiora focused her own chakra the way Lee had shown her, and the first gate burst open, allowing more of the Kyuubi's chakra through.

This process was repeated until the first five gates were open, at which point a peculiar thing happened. Kiora felt herself, instead of growing lighter, get heavier.

_Stop, _she heard the demon say. _Have your mother examine you._

Puzzled, she bade Lee farewell, and turned for home. Truthfully, she was nervous about going to her mother. She had avoided Sakura, knowing how she felt about the demon fox, and knew she'd be furious with Kohana for releasing it. Hell, she'd probably seal it up again. She flipped through handsigns and teleported the rest of the way.

"Mom, I'm home," she called out. She waited for a reply, stroking the fur of her tail.

_Why the hell did I grow an actual pair of fox ears and a tail? _she asked the Kyuubi. _Didn't Naruto just have ones made out of chakra?_

_I had control of Naruto whenever he transformed, _it replied. _Besides, he'd have looked really gay in fur._

_You have absolutely no clue, do you?_

_Not really._

Kiora laughed. The Kyuubi had almost the same cynical attitude that Kohana possessed.

She was jerked back to reality as Sakura and Miyoko came out of the bathroom.

"Sorry, your sister had a noseblee-" Sakura's sentence was cut off, her jaw hanging slack.

"Um, surprise?"

-----

Once Sakura had calmed down (she had tried to strangle Kohana on sight, an occurrence which only left her tired and more frustrated), she agreed to examine Kiora, who relayed the Kyuubi's message.

So she now sat naked on the kitchen table, Sakura poking her skin at various places, her face growing more confused by the second.

"I need Hinata," she announced. She ran off to Miyoko's room, where Hinata was keeping the young girl occupied. She returned, gesturing towards Kiora's legs.

"Take a look at this," Sakura said. Hinata activated her Byakugan.

"Nothing _looks _abnormal," she said. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Kiora, close the fifth gate," Sakura said. Kiora obeyed, and felt her weight return to normal.

"Now I see it," Hinata said. "Her muscles, bones, and ligaments just rebuilt themselves on a cellular level."

"Which is why she can open all eight gates without tearing her body to shreds," Sakura explained. She turned back to Kiora. "Did you notice the weight shift when you opened the fifth gate?" Kiora nodded. "It seems your fifth gate contains a trigger that sets off a change in your DNA. Your bones become some sort of organic alloy that's stronger than titanium, while your muscles and ligaments become more dense. I've never seen anything like it, not even in Lee, who specializes in the gates. He's the only one who's made it to the seventh gate, one short of infinite power."

"Trust me, it's not infinite," Kiora said.

"Yours are forced open by an excess of chakra. I would argue that Lee has more power at seven than you do at eight."

Kiora folded her arms across her chest. "Oh really?"

Sakura laughed. "Okay, maybe the _first _time you used the Thirteen Handsigns Jutsu."

"So are you saying I'd be more powerful if I could open the gates and then use the Thirteen Handsigns?" Kiora asked.

Sakura shrugged. "You're an oddity, even in the ninja world. No one truly knows your limits, especially now with the Kyuubi unleashed."

"Yeah, but if you don't remember, I don't have my patriarch gene anymore," Kiora said.

"I'm still working on it," Sakura said, putting a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "If I'm right, Hinata's Byakugan gene should contain the codes for your patriarch gene, it'll just have to be activated again, the same way it was before. Then we can seal the Kyuubi again."

Kiora felt an inexplicable wave of sorrow. She realized the emotion was not hers, but that of the demon within.

"Mom, why do you hate the Kyuubi so much?" she asked, pulling her clothes back on.

Sakura handed her her tee shirt. "I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say there are some things even the best healing jutsu can't erase."

She turned and left. Kiora stood speechless, wondering what could have made Sakura Haruno sound so bitter.

A/N: Well, that's another chapter. Can you believe I'm still posting the stuff I wrote in boot camp? And there's two more chapters of boot camp writing before I have to start writing new stuff. Well, I hope I can get some people reading this again, and I promise super lemon next chapter. It'll be fun. Taku, out.


	17. The Fall of Kiora

A/N: WHAT THE HELL GUYS?!! I keep writing this thing HOPING I'll get some more reviews, but I get one reviewer per chapter at best. -sighs- I guess nobody appreciates perversion anymore. That being said, this chapter contains the single most fucked up lemon I've ever composed, probably due to two months of sexual repression during boot camp. It should be fun, and it sets the stage for the closing parts of the story, so I can get book 4 started sometime in the next six months to a year.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Not even my own life, according to the US Navy...

The clash of metal on metal rang out in the night air. Kiora grit her teeth in frustration as yet another shuriken was knocked out of the air.

"Is this the best I can expect from Konoha's top shinobi?" her opponent taunted. "I'm disappointed."

Sanryu, a former Kirigakure taijutsu expert, planted his lead foot and spun delivering a lightning quick back roundhouse kick.

Kiora was not relying on the Kyuubi's chakra. She decided to keep that weapon a secret from the Akatsuki until she really needed it. Without the demon's chakra loose, her appearance was normal aside from her greenish blue eyes. Thankfully, she still had her two katana, which she was currently using.

Sanryu protected his foot with a blast of chakra, knocking the blade of Hiashi's sword away. His foot sailed harmlessly behind her, but his fist came in behind it. She barely got her forearm up in time, grazing her cheek with her flaming blade. Sanryu's blow knocked her back a step, but he didn't press his advantage.

As Kiora stepped back, she saw Sanryu fall into a shockingly familiar stance. He held one hand in a fist behind his back, the other with the fingers fully extended and together in front of him. He was a perfect mirror of the much younger Rock Lee.

Kiora slid both blades into their respective sheaths, forming a handsign in front of her. She focused all of her thoughts on opening the first gate. She felt chakra building, and finally, with the adrenaline of combat flowing through her veins, she felt it open.

Kiora kept pushing until she managed to open the second gate. "Alright," she whispered. "Let's roll."

-----

"Come on Kamimaru," Kohana teased. "Care to test your corpse manipulation techniques against the queen of the undead?"

"Not really," the Akatsuki man replied. "But I don't think you're going to give me a choice."

"You've got that right," Kohana said. "We'll start small, with the lowest of the undead."

She waved her hands, muttering an incantation. A second later, the soil in a fifty-foot radius around her began churning. Arms burst from the ground, white bones glistening in the moonlight. Her skeletons climbed from the ground, each one wielding a rusty sword and worn out wooden shield.

"A small fraction of the vast millions I can control," Kohana said.

"Such a shame," Kamimaru said from behind her. "Your summoning takes too long."

In the time it had taken Kohana to raise a few hundred skeletal warriors, Kamimaru had used a summoning jutsu to get his primary weapon.

Once glittering black, its scales were now dull, ragged, and worn. A gash six feet in length ran down its jawline, through which green acid leaked. The black dragon was three hundred feet from nose to tail.

"Malandra," Kohana whispered. A jet of acid sprang from the beast's mouth, covering the hundred feet to Kohana in less than a second.

She was too stunned to move. She supposed she had gone soft by befriending Kiora. In reality it was a pragmatic decision to make the best of Lucifer's punishment. Had she been the same as before, Kamimaru would have been dead in the first ten seconds of the fight.

But, Kohana's only regret as the acid closed in was that she wouldn't see Kiora regain her powers. She closed her eyes as the attack reached its mark.

-----

Kiora had never been so pleased with herself. She had felt the second gate open, and knew the Kyuubi's chakra was still locked away.

Her mood quickly changed when she looked up. In the time it had taken her to open two gates, Sanryu had opened seven.

"What can you do, little kunoichi?" he taunted. "What do you have left?"

Kiora felt his power radiating from him. She wondered for a second if this was the feeling others got when she used the Thirteen Handsigns Jutsu.

_You need my help, _she heard the Kyuubi say.

_Stay outta my head! _Kiora shouted. _I need to concentrate._

Not wanting to give Sanryu anymore time, she formed the sign of the tiger in front of her again and focused her chakra.

"C'mon, open," she muttered. "I've done it once, I can do it again!"

There was a slight twinge in her spine as the third and fourth gates opened. She didn't get the time to marvel at her achievement, though.

She blinked, and Sanryu was behind her. She spun, amazed at how fast she was moving. There was a look of shock on her enemy's face as she blocked his kick with her shin.

She jumped back, got some distance, and opened the fifth gate, feeling her muscles and bones grow heavier.

"You truly are odd," Sanryu said. "Amazing, really." He powered back up and charged in.

Kiora flipped through six handsigns, conjuring her fireball. Sanryu charged through the flames, a barrier of chakra protecting him.

"I'm not done yet!" Kiora shouted, leaping back. She forced open the sixth gate and clapped her hands together, conjuring the Chidori in both palms.

She met Sanryu's charge head on. Her left hand breached his chakra barrier, while her right hand headed for his face.

He dropped low, under her attack, and kick up. She felt the gates close, temporarily stunned. For a split second, she thought she saw a pair of eyes watching their fight from the shadow of the trees, but it was too brief, and she wrote it off as a trick of the light. She twisted in midair, catching him as he jumped up. He tried to grab her, but a quick jab to the pressure point in his shoulder stopped that.

She locked her ankles around his neck, grabbed his wrists, and with a series of midair flips, drove him headfirst into the ground.

-----

At the instant before the acid struck, Kohana's eyes snapped open. A teleport put her behind Kamimaru.

She sank her fangs into his neck, relishing the taste of fresh blood. She held on until he was completely drained of it. His body fell limp to the ground, and she turned to Malandra.

"What has h done to you?" she whispered. She sighed. "I really have gone soft, haven't I? Well, the least I can do is lay your body to rest in the most final way I can."

She started into an incantation in ancient Greek. "Damn this spell is long," she muttered, continuing the casting. "You can't even hear me, but this creates absolute zero temperatures in a two-hundred foot radius."

She finished the spell and looked up, the same sinister glare in her eyes. "Feh. Shatter." She snapped her fingers, and the dragon's body exploded into a billion tiny fragments.

"I'm back," she said, Kamimaru's blood dripping off her chin.

-----

Kiora sank to her knees, exhausted. She closed the inner gates, and grinned to herself. Her last throw had snapped Sanryu's neck, killing him almost instantly.

She and Kohana had come to the surface for some training in the woods. Unfortunately, they were spotted by Sanryu and Kamimaru, who were on the lookout for the pair.

Wincing, she climbed to her feet and set off in search of Kohana.

-----

"You were amazing," Kohana said as she closed the door to Kiora's room later that day. She walked slowly towards Kiora, watching her eyes follow her every move. When she reached her lover, she brought their lips together, savoring Kiora's taste almost as much as that of the blood she had drained before.

Kiora paused for a second to pull off her tee shirt, stepping back into the kiss as soon as it was clear. She helped Kohana out of her frilly gothic lolita dress, and proceeded to dive between the vampire's thighs.

Not having had sex for so long, Kohana came in about fifteen seconds. "I think that's a new record," Kiora said, wiping her chin. "What happened?"

Kohana replied by pouncing on Kiora, pinning her to the bed with her knees. Her pussy hovered an inch above Kiora's face. "Care to try again?" she asked.

"Fine, as long as you don't make me drink your piss like that one time," Kiora said.

"You keep complaining, but at the time, you enjoyed it," Kohana said.

"Yeah, because between the two of us, we downed four bottles of sake," Kiora argued. "That hangover sucked."

"Less talky, more licky, please," Kohana said, wiggling her ass.

Kiora's tongue began its work, lapping at the outer folds of Kohana's pussy. She let out a long low moan and pressed her hips down onto Kiora's face.

Kiora now slid her tongue deep into Kohana, coaxing a yelp from her. Her arms were pinned by Kohana's knees, but she ended that with a quick roll, sending the vampire toppling to the sheets.

Fingers now joined the tongue, working deep inside to find Kohana's G-spot.

"That's good, right there!" Kohana shouted, her back arching. Kiora borrowed a trick from their first time together, giving her a light nibble on her clit.

Kohana came instantaneously, her juices creating a small puddle on the sheets. Kiora rocked back on her haunches, watching her tremble from the orgasm.

"I win again," Kiora said, laying next to her.

"Oh, really?" Kohana asked, still panting. She flipped through several handsigns.

Kiora still had her jeans on, so Kohana's first jutsu, the Transgender Jutsu, left her with a very painful hard-on in the tight denim. The second jutsu was the Instant Orgasm Jutsu she had used when disguised as Sasha, with a small twist.

"Continuous Orgasm Jutsu," Kohana said. "You're going to keep cumming until I cast the counterspell."

Kiora pulled off her jeans and cum-soaked panties, revealing a ten-inch dick that was still spurting everywhere. Without any hesitation, she flipped Kohana over and slid herself into the vampire's tiny pussy.

"Yes, fill me up all the way," Kohana moaned, licking her lips. Kiora thrust as hard as she could, the slap of flesh against flesh filling her ears.

Then she had an idea. She remembered the handsigns Kohana had used for her jutsus, so she grabbed her around the waist. With her dick still inside, she worked her way down the hall and into the bathroom. Kiora climbed into the bathtub, where she finally pulled out.

Her erect penis started squirting cum straight up, a large portion of it landing on her breasts. Ignoring that, she started flipping through handsigns, giving Kohana her own cum-spurting dick.

Kohana responded with another jutsu. Kiora's DDs expanded out to a K cup, and now caught every drop of cum from her dick.

"I see why we needed the tub," Kohana said, sliding her cock between Kiora's cum-drenched tits. Kiora closed her eyes, letting cum run down her face and through her hair.

"You taste fantastic," Kiora said, catching a glob on her tongue and swallowing it. She flipped Kohana onto her knees, noting that the cum was already almost three inches deep in the bottom of the tub.

Grinning to herself, she coated Kohana's ass in cum before sliding her dick into her asshole. She simply held her dick in place while her insides filled with white, sticky fluid. Kohana's belly began to protrude from the amount of cum inside her.

"It hurts!" the vampire shouted. "Get it out!" Kiora pulled out, shooting cum into Kohana's long hair. With a grin to herself, she flipped through handsigns for a medical jutsu to stimulate cell growth. Wrapping both hands around the base of her cock, she released the mounting energy, watching as it doubled in girth and grew six inches or more in length. It also tripled the amount of cum it shot.

Kohana's hair quickly became matted to her body, the ends of it dragging in the cum that had quadrupled in depth in the tub. Kiora turned her around, shooting about a gallon of fluid on her face, and shoved the tip of her now seventeen inch dick in her mouth.

Tears ran through the cum on her face as she faithfully swallowed gallon after gallon. She gagged as she tried to inhale, her cheeks filling with ejaculate. Finally, as she coughed and sputtered, still sucking on Kiora's dick, cum spurted from her nose.

Kiora pulled back, another huge glob of cum hitting Kohana in the face. The vampire sat very still for an instant, catching her breath and swallowing the remaining cum in her mouth. At last, she looked back up, a manic glint in her eye.

She pushed Kiora down on her back. Her face slipped below the surface of the rapidly rising liquid, barely visible through the translucent fluid. Kohana flipped through handsigns, further enlarging Kiora's dick to a full twenty-four inches.

Now Kiora was spurting more cum than ever. Kohana grabbed her thighs, pushing them until the tip of Kiora's dick reached her own mouth.

Then, Kohana enlarged her own cock until it matched that of her lover, and slid inside Kiora's pussy.

A bubble escaped from where Kiora's mouth would have been, probably due to the shock of penetration. Kohana let her up for air, allowing her to lean against the side of the tub while still sucking herself off. Once she had caught her breath, Kohana slid in further, watching as Kiora's eyes got wider with each inch.

Until Kohana hit an obstruction. With a yelp of pain, Kiora's mouth came off her dick, causing a large amount of her own cum to hit her in the face.

"What did you do?" she gasped.

"Nothing yet," Kohana said. "I think I hit your cervix. Which is good. Nothing feels quite like getting fucked in the cervix."

"And how exactly would you know this?" Kiora asked uneasily.

"You try fitting a demon's dick in a ten-year-old's pussy," Kohana said. "Cervix fucking ensues."

"Are you sure about thi-" Kiora's sentence was cut off by her own scream. Kohana took a hand off Kiora's hip, guiding her dick back to her mouth. Kohana continued to push herself in, drawing more cries of pain from Kiora.

Tears streamed down the pink-haired girl's cum-drenched face. Finally, with one powerful thrust, Kohana felt herself slip through. Kiora's crying ceased almost instantly. She let out a low moan as Kohana slid in, the full twenty-four inches of her cock throbbing inside her.

A lump protruded from Kiora's belly, just above her belly button. Kiora gently caressed it, watching as Kohana's expression turned to one of pure ecstasy.

"That's my cock you're rubbing," Kohana said.

Kiora swallowed her last mouthful of cum. "I've never even had a real dick in me before, let alone one this huge," she said.

Kohana grinned and started thrusting, each time forcing Kiora's dick into her own mouth. Kiora flipped through handsigns, placing her hands on her own breasts. They grew from their already enlarged K-cups to an enormous P-cup. The remaining energy went into her dick, which was now squeezed nicely between her massive jugs.

It no longer grew in length. Now, its thickness increased, growing thicker than her thigh. She closed her eyes, bracing for the flood of cum that was sure to follow the increase in size.

It never came. Puzzled, she looked to Kohana, who had stopped thrusting to watch the self-titfucking session.

"Okay, so my Continuous Orgasm Jutsu isn't exactly permanent," Kohana said. "It dies out after thirty minutes." She re-activated the jutsu, and the resulting glob of cum completely enveloped Kiora's head.

Kiora coughed, swallowed a mouthful, and suddenly felt slightly queasy, like she had overeaten. She pushed her boobs together, blocking the flow of cum so it ran down her torso and into the tub, which was now over half full.

"I never thought I could fill up on my own cum," Kiora said. Kohana shrugged and pulled out of her pussy. On a whim, she reached down and slid her arm inside in place of the massive dick. She managed to fit it in up to her shoulder, her fingers pushing out where the head of her cock had been previously.

Everything would have ended nicely, if the door hadn't opened right about then.

Kiora hadn't noticed how messy they were being before. The tub probably would have been full, were it not for all the cum on the walls and floor.

Sakura and Hinata burst through the door, pulling each other's clothes off. Sakura made it halfway across the bathroom before she noticed anything. And then she slipped.

Her knee hit the side of the tub. In an attempt to stop from falling, she grabbed the edge, flipping over the side and falling, fully clothed, into a tub full of cum.

Hinata stood a foot from where Sakura had slipped, her jaw hanging slack. Sakura came up gasping for air, a look of disbelief in her eyes.

"Hi mom," Kiora said. She gave a little wave. This caused her boobs to stop blocking her cock, and a large wad of cum hit her in the face.

"Care to join us?" Kohana asked. The vampire had a look in her eyes that clearly said she was plotting something.

Sakura's mouth instantly formed the word "no," but she never got to say it.

"Sure," Hinata said. Kohana was the only one who wasn't surprised by the answer. With a grin, she flipped through more handsigns.

"What are you doing?" Kiora asked. Kohana silenced her with a look. She canceled out the Continuous Orgasm Jutsu, then had Kiora help Sakura out of the tub.

Thanks to Sakura's medical jutsu, both of Kiora's parents still had their perfect teenage bodies, which was proven when they stripped down. Kohana ordered them both onto their hands and knees, and motioned for Kiora to get behind them.

Kohana flipped through handsigns, flashing Kiora a thumbs up. Kiora's face had a confused expression, curious as to why nothing was happening. In true comedic timing, she sprouted a second dick, identical to the first, thus answering her question. Kohana repeated the technique on herself, and Sakura and Hinata exchanged nervous glances.

Kiora slipped the tip of each dick into each of her mothers' pussies. At the same time, Kohana slid her own cocks down their throats. With one quick thrust, they both forced in to full penetration, all collective ninety-six inches of cock ramming into flesh.

Kohana leaned forward and whispered into Kiora's ear. "I modified the Continuous Orgasm Jutsu. It'll start again next time you cum."

Kiora was still dumbfounded by the turn of events. Somehow her parents were allowing their fifteen-year-old appearing daughter to fuck therm with twenty-four inch long, seven-inch thick dicks. Not to mention a ten-year-old looking vampire fucking them in the mouth the same way. What was being accomplished was physically impossible.

Sakura gave a pre-orgasmic shudder that traveled through Kiora and into Hinata. Hinata's pussy clenched on her dick, and a second later, Kiora came.

Cum gushed into Sakura and Hinata, leaking out around Kiora's dicks. She pushed in as far as she could, holding her cocks in place as gallons of cum poured into them, and subsequently out onto the floor.

Kohana heard the splash of fluid hitting the tile, the sound turning her on even more. Sakura and Hinata both sucked harder, inhaling as a reflex to the amount of cum being squirted inside them. Kohana came, holding the backs of their heads down on her twin dicks.

Hinata did her best to keep up, cum leaking from the corners of her mouth and her nostrils. Sakura almost kept up, until she had to breath. She gagged, and pinched her nose to avoid looking like Hinata. As a result, the excess cum leaked from the air holes at the corner of her eyes, making it look like she was crying cum.

Kohana and Kiora pulled out at the same time, each one taking a specific parent. Kiora pulled Hinata a few feet off to the left, while Kohana turned Sakura around in place.

"Mom," Kiora said. "I can make these smaller, if you don't want to get hurt." Hinata grabbed her wrist.

"Fuck me as hard as you can," she said.

Kiora slid the tip of one dick into her pussy, the other into her ass. With one powerful thrust, she completely penetrated her, both dicks entirely inside.

Kohana did the same, Sakura crying out in a mix of pain and pleasure. Then, on a second thought, she pulled out, thoroughly bathing Sakura in cum before lining up both dicks with the pink-haired woman's ass. She eased her way in, Sakura moaning as inch after inch slid into her ass.

Kiora was now thrusting rapidly, Hinata's cries of ecstasy echoing in the bathroom. Her belly was so bloated from the dicks and all the cum that she looked pregnant with quadruplets. Kiora flipped through handsigns, enlarging Hinata's H-cup breasts until the alphabet wouldn't go far enough to give them a size.

She leaned forward, pressing their tits together until their lips met. Hinata's tongue darted forth, playing its way between Kiora's lips.

_What the hell am I doing? s_he thought. She broke off the kiss, pulling out completely.

"What's wrong baby?" Hinata asked.

"This is wrong," Kiora said. "It's all wrong!" She clutched her head and spun, trying to remember what had happened before she and Kohana had come home. All she could remember was slamming Sanryu into the ground.

And those eyes. She found her self facing the mirror. With a jerk of her neck, she slammed her forehead into the glass, using the pain to break the illusion.

"Looks like she's finally coming to," said a voice. "She's all yours, Orion."

Kiora put a hand to her head, trying to clear the fog from her mind.

_Where...am I? s_he wondered. She could vaguely see a man out of the corner of her eye, but her vision was too blurry to make out his features.

"What the hell happened to me?" she asked herself.

"For starters, that little vampire brat ran off," said a new voice, oddly familiar. "And you never beat Sanryu. Nejimaru caught you in his genjutsu after you got kicked. Judging from the damp spot in your shorts, I'd say your nothing but a filthy whore."

That cleared Kiora's head quickly. Her captor stood in the shadows, his face hidden by darkness.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "Don't make me kill you!"

"Kill me, slut?" the man said. "You'd have to kill all of me."

Kiora suddenly found herself surrounded by hundreds of shadow doppelgangers. Her captor finally stepped forth, a blond-haired man of thirty with blue eyes. Three lines adorned each of his cheeks, marks of the demon he once possessed.

"Naruto," she whispered.

"I am Orion, the only Akatsuki member good enough to operate alone. As well as the primary method of torture for our female prisoners."

Several of Naruto's clones stepped forth, brandishing ropes. It took thirty of them to tie her arms behind her back and bind her wrists to a pole in the center of the room. One of them used a kunai to slice through her hoodie, tee shirt, and bra, while another slid her shorts and panties down to her ankles. His face quickly became one with the back of his skull, courtesy of Kiora's foot. Several more came and tied her legs apart to separate stakes.

Naruto stepped forward, his doppelgangers disappearing in puffs of smoke. He ran his fingers over Kiora's delicate folds, still moist from the erotic genjutsu.

"Nejimaru carried you here on his shoulder," he said. "He said you came almost two dozen times from his illusion." He spread her lips apart, sliding a finger inside. Silent tears streamed down Kiora's face. "Such a dirty slut," he said, sniffing his fingers. He licked them clean, never breaking eye contact. "You taste like a virgin. You've never had a cock before, have you?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU RAPIST FILTH!" she shouted, struggling futilely against her bonds. She had exhausted too much chakra fighting Sanryu.

He re-summoned his doppelgangers. "Break her," he said. "Bring her to me when she's willing."

A/N: Well, that's probably the single dirtiest chapter I've ever written, and that's including the water sports lemon in Help Needed 1. This is the last complete boot camp chapter, so the next chapter will actually have new writing in it. Maybe you people will actually read my story again, wouldn't that be nice?!


	18. Immortal Akatsuki: Orion

A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this, huh. Well, I'm willing to bet that NOBODY is going to read the damn thing, but what the hell. This is the beginning of the climax, the big epic final conflict that will probably consume more chapters than I can think of. I have everything worked out for the most part, and I even have a significant bit of Help Needed 4 planned, as well as the basic idea for Help Needed 5 to finish out the series. Granted, Kiora will probably still make appearances in my other works besides this, so look forward to it. I know I look forward to having some potential readers back!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters Wolfwing, Safira, Tsunade, or Kurenai. Those four are the property of my former partner in perversion, Kyouger.

Kohana stood in front of a massive, thirty foot diameter stone ring. It was her sole remaining inter-dimensional gateway, hidden deep in the forests near Kirigakure. She herself had dismantled the others, keeping this one intact in case an emergency arose and she lacked the power to use her instant dimension-jump spell.

She muttered the arcane activation word, placing her hand on the cold, smooth surface of the stone. The runes carved into the ring glowed a pale blue, electricity arcing between them. One particularly large spark leaped from the top center rune to the ground, spreading to fill the ring. Without a destination, the portal swirled into a black vortex of nothingness. Again in a low tone, she named the dimension of her destination.

The village of Konohagakure appeared, though in this one, there were still only five stone faces in the Hokage's monument, and the population was almost ten times that of the village here.

"Running never did suit you," said a voice. Her skin crawled as she realized who was behind her, but she was determined not to let him unnerve her.

"Hello, Lucifer," she said. Her cold stare matched his own.

"The look in your eyes is different," he said, absentmindedly twirling his walking stick. "They are almost the same as when you first came down to me, although now there is something more to them. I think you're still torn between wanting to flee and your desire to help Kiora. Granted, your desire to live should push you towards helping her, because any other option would be voiding your contract and result in you being erased from existence."

Kohana closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. In her head she was running through a long series of unincanted, delayed spells. She was hoping to hit him with enough firepower fast enough that he couldn't deflect any of it.

In the millisecond it took her to open her eyes, she was behind him. She grabbed one of his wrists, placed her palm against him, and unleashed her first spell, a wind-based capturing spell. Her second spell came instantly afterwards, a high-level lightning spell that, while it only did minimal damage, negated magical barriers. Her final spell was the same one she had used less than an hour before, reducing the temperature to near absolute zero.

Flames surrounded Lucifer, his walking stick now held firmly in his grasp. Kohana's last spell was countered, and she fled, desperate to get some distance. As soon as the flames had cleared, she stepped through her gateway.

"Not bad," Lucifer said to himself. "The fact that you bothered to attack me proves that I was right." He decided to give her forty-eight hours to return to Kiora's side, provided the girl was not dead by then.

-----

Melody Uchiha sat across from her father, both of them wearing their traditional Uchiha clan robes. Melody was anxious, one eye open and her thumb twitching nervously in her lap, while her father was calm, almost resigned to this. Finally, he opened his eyes, his Sharingan activated.

"How long?" he asked. "How long have you possessed Mangekyo?"

"Since the day of Serenity's death," Melody said, shifting nervously.

"Fitting, since today marks the fifth anniversary of her passing," Sasuke said. "Did you know, that when an Uchiha dies, their eyes remain intact for decades because of the chakra concentrated in them?"

Melody shook her head. "These were the last things I received from Kakashi, the confirmation that your cousin had killed her." Sasuke removed a vial from inside his robe. Inside were two red and black Sharingan eyes.

"Have you used your Mangekyo yet?" he asked.

"Once," she said. "I tried to square off against Nejimaru when the Akatsuki attacked."

"You're lucky to be alive," Sasuke said. "I am giving your sister's eyes to you. Transplanting them with your own will give you eternal Mangekyo. The choice, however, is yours to make."

He rose and left the room, leaving the vial on the floor in his place. Melody stared into her sister's eyes for several minutes, then finally snatched up the container and headed to Sakura's.

-----

Safira followed the echoing cries down to Wolfwing's "secret" underground lair. She punched in the code in the keypad by the door, expecting to find Tsunade or Kurenai.

Wolfwing was staring at the screen, playing Bioshock, while a young girl with knee-length blond hair sobbed into his shoulder. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered him, but something struck her as odd. Usually, this was how things went when she herself was trying to get Wolfwing's attention.

She wrapped her fingers around his neck, squeezing down on his windpipe. She heard a muffled, "oh shit" escape his lips.

"Wolfy-kins," she sang, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Who is she?" With a deafening crunch, his neck snapped and she separated his head from his shoulders, just in time for his in-game character to get mauled by a gang of splicers. She picked up the controller, and after figuring out which button swung the wrench and which one shot lightning, managed to keep him alive in the game while he regenerated his skull and its contents.

"You know, that was very rude," he said, climbing to his feet. His eyes flashed a "don't-fuck-with-that-chick" warning, changing hue from green to red to blue. She ignored him, shoving the controller to his XBox 360 into his hands. "Answer the question," she said, her hands on her hips.

Wolfwing hit the pause button, tossing the controller to the couch. He folded his arms across his chest, carefully choosing his words. The blond girl stepped forward. Though her appearance was that of a ten-year-old, her eyes showed a wisdom far beyond those years.

"There's no real way to soften this," Wolfwing said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's your mother."

Safira and Kohana both stared at him. "What?" they asked in unison.

"I've only given birth to one child," Kohana said. "And that was to found the Haruno clan back before Kiora's universe and this one split. Look back, you'll see that the clan springs up out of nowhere about seven hundred years ago."

"Sorry to interrupt," Wolfwing said. "But you had one other, with me. You couldn't shoulder the responsibility, so you had me erase your memory and send you to another universe with my jutsu. Safira grew up with a foster family that was thankfuly nice enough to treat her as their own."

Kohana slumped onto the couch. This was too much. Kiora getting captured originally didn't have any effect on her, but between Lucifer's appearance and this, she was shaken out of her relapse.

"You still haven't told me why you're here," Wolfwing continued. "Last I saw, you were getting your head sliced off by Kiora, but that was a good six years ago now."

"Long story short," Kohana said. "I have a demonic contract with Lucifer binding me to aid Kiora. We became lovers, but Konoha and all of the other hidden villages became the targets of a new generation of Akatsuki. We fled, for Kiora's safety, about three and a half years ago. We were training, and in the meantime, they took over Konoha. Sunagakure's been decimated, there's not a soul left alive in the Land of Sand. Anyways, Kiora's been taken prisoner and I suffered a minor relapse to my more evil days, and after a run-in with Satan, came here. Does that explain everything?"

"No, but it explains enough," Wolfwing said. "Actually, I do have one question. Kiora's stronger than you, and she teamed up with you, so how did she get captured?"

"The Akatsuki have the son of Itachi with them, as wall as Hakaishimaru Hyuuchiga, the person at the point where the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans split. He can strip people of their kekkei genkai abilities and he got rid of Kiora's patriarch gene and Byakugan. Sakura's trying to figure out a way to reverse it, but it's taking time."

"Wonderful," Wolfwing said sarcastically. "What can I do to help?"

"At this point?" Kohana said. "Nothing. I just needed a shoulder." She turned and headed towards the back of the lair, plucking a scroll from the shelf as she went. She activated Wolfwing's portal, then found herself face-to-face with Safira as she turned back.

"Sorry I wasn't there for you," she said, putting a hand on Safira's shoulder. "But you'll understand when you're seven hundred or so."

Safira's eyes widened as Kohana leaped through the portal, leaving it to seal itself. Safira flopped down on her butt.

"Seven hundred," she whispered. "So, you're into old ladies _and _little girls, huh, Wolfy-kins?" Wolfwing shook his head and went back to his game.

-----

Melody lay on her back, blind in one eye, the one that Sakura had already removed. The anesthetic she was using was making her vision double, though, so she couldn't be certain which eye had been removed. She had a feeling it was the right eye. Suddenly, her field of view went completely black, and she blinked several times before she realized Sakura was still talking to her.

"Relax, Melody," she was saying. "I've severed both optic nerves. All that's left is to switch out the eyes and re-attach everything."

Melody took a deep breath and re-centered herself. She lost track of time in the darkness, lost in memories of her sister.

She wasn't sure if it was minutes later or hours, but finally she could see light again.

"Everything's done," Sakura said. "Take your time to adjust to them. Even though you two were twins, there may be some small differences." She held her hand on Melody's head, flushing the anesthetic from her system. Melody blinked twice, then activated her Sharingan. She focused her chakra in her eyes, and watched in the reflection of the stainless steel refrigerator as the red and black faded and inverted, leaving a red pupil and teardrops on a black iris. Her new Mangekyo.

Her vision was so acute she felt as though she could see the very atoms move. She clearly saw the fluorescent lights flickering on and off at sixty ties per second, and Sakura seemed to be moving in slow motion. She blinked again, deactivating the eyes.

"Perfect," she said. She hopped off of Sakura's kitchen table and stretched, noticing her old eyes in the vial that had once held her sister's.

The pink-haired medic ninja was already closely studying them. "Yeah, perfect," she said, grinning. "Do you realize your father handed you the key to giving Kiora her powers back?"

Melody raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused. "Her current eyes are too far away from the Hyuuga bloodline for me to splice the gene back in," Sakura explained. "Every time I try with the sample I collected, the flesh destroys itself. However, the Uchiha bloodline only differs from the Hyuuga by one ten-thousandth of a percent. With your permission, I can splice the gene into your old eyes and give Kiora her powers back."

"That's great!" Melody said. "How long will it take?"

"The cells in the eye need to go through one complete cycle of division," Sakura said. "I can accelerate the process, but it will still take about twenty-four hours."

"Where is she, anyways?" Melody asked.

"Off training with Kohana," Sakura replied. "She said something about testing her limits with the Kyuubi."

Melody nodded, unsure of what to say. She noticed that Sakura got touchy whenever the Kyuubi was mentioned. "You work on the eyes," she said. "I'm gonna head out."

"Send your father over, will you?" Sakura called after her. Melody nodded before leaving Sakura alone to the task at hand.

She was wrapping up the final stages when Sasuke entered the kitchen.

"Hey Sasuke," she said, barely glancing up. She slid the eyes back into their vial, replacing the cap.

"What's going on, Sakura?" he asked. He slid out a chair and sat down.

"Not much, just fancied a chat," she said. "Funny, isn't it? It used to be me and Naruto without you, now it's me and you without Naruto."

"A long time ago, you'd have given anything for it to be like this," Sasuke commented, picking up the vial with Melody's eyes.

"Careful," Sakura said. She quickly explained what she had done to Melody and the spare eyes.

"Interesting," he said after she was done. "Do you really think it'll work?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Tsunade was always better with the miracles than I was."

Sasuke nodded solemnly. "I know what happened between you and Naruto. I know why he did it, and I also know why you're so desperate to get Kiora her powers back. But remember, blaming the demon is only your excuse so you don't have to put the blame where it truly belongs."

"If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, it would have never happened," she said. "It's not about blame, it's about logic."

"I'm not entirely sure," Sasuke said. "He was strong, even without it. I think you underestimate what he was capable of, demon or no demon."

"Regardless, I will not rest until that _thing _is out of my daughter," she said.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not here to argue," he said. "I can't deny that the Kyuubi was a factor in it."

Sakura nodded, on the verge of tears. Sasuke was the only person she ever spoke about this to. She didn't want to taint Naruto's memory for other people any more than it already was.

Sasuke stood to leave. He was prevented from doing so, however, by the sudden appearance of Kohana, who burst in the door.

"Kiora's been captured by Neimaru," she said, panting. "We need to move. Now. I think she's still in Konoha."

Sakura leaped up, grabbing the vial with the eyes.

"Get Melody," Sasuke said. "Meet us at the vault entrance in two minutes."

-----

Kiora felt herself being lowered into a bathtub. She could smell the soap, but was so exhausted that she couldn't open her eyes to verify anything. She had no idea how long Naruto's clones had kept up their assault.

"Wash up good," one said. "We want you nice and clean when we start tomorrow."

Opening the inner gates had used up so much of her chakra that she could barely hang on to consciousness. What resistance she had initially offered was a result of sheer adrenaline.

_You need my power, _the Kyuubi said.

_No, _Kiora said. _You're my last resort. I can't let them find out about you. And I don't want you taking control again._

The demon fell silent again, as it had many times. Kiora went back to scrubbing ejaculate out of her hair. The bath seemed to be helping her energy, as she could now open her eyes without draining herself.

She still couldn't figure out how Naruto was alive. She herself had torn his heart from his chest and witnessed its dying beats. Kakashi had said something about the Akatsuki having a corpse manipulator named Kamimaru. Perhaps he had found a way to re-animate the souls of the dead. Naruto appeared to have no memories of Kiora, even though Natsuko had told her how much he had desired her.

Lost in thought, she didn't realize what she was doing until she felt a searing pain in her left forearm. She had been so desperate to cleanse herself of Naruto's fluids that she had scrubbed her skin raw.

She carefully finished cleaning the rest of her body and stepped out of the tub into the steamy bathroom. She found a soft, white towel waiting on the back of the door for her. She dried herself, then wrapped the towel around herself and exited to the next room.

"Enjoy your bath?" Naruto called from the bed. "I do hope you're willing. I grow tired of waiting for you to break."

Kiora dropped her towel and walked slowly towards the bed, deliberately swaying her hips. Naruto's eyes followed her movements as she crawled into his bed. She pushed him down on his pillows, and leaned into his ear.

"Close your eyes," she said. "You'll embarrass me if you keep staring like that." He obeyed, and she called on the Kyuubi's power. Her pupils turned to slits, and her hair changed to reddish-orange. She kept gently massaging his chest, finding a circular scar where she had once struck him with her Chidori.

She snapped her fingers. Naruto's eyes jerked open as the lightning of the jutsu appeared in her hand. Kiora drove the attack home, perfectly in line with the scar on his chest.

Naruto shouted in agony as Kiora's hand plunged into his chest. Gritting his teeth, he swung a mighty backhand that sent Kiora toppling to the floor. He rose from the bed, his flesh swirling to heal the gaping hole Kiora had left. He held out his right hand. Chakra pooled in it, forming into his Rasen-Shuriken.

"What are you?" Kiora asked. Naruto grinned.

"I am Orion," he said. "Akatsuki immortal."

A/N: Yeah, I know. I keep ending with crappy lines. Sue me. I know it's been forever (like what, four months?) but I've been really busy with school and stuff. But I got the boot from the Navy for helping a friend, so that leaves me a lot of free time for my stories.

This brings me to a point. What kind of world is it where the military will separate you just for extending a helping hand to a friend that has no home, no job, and no way of getting anywhere? Somebody explain to me why it's bad to help out your friends. Because I'd rather have my best friend, someone who makes me happy, than a job that makes me miserable.


	19. Reinvasion: Konoha Fights Back

A/N: Well, I guess you guys get lucky and get two chapters back-to-back. We're hitting the end of the story now, with Naruto and the secret between him and Sakura. All will be revealed before this chapter is over! I guess...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I now own my life again, thanks to the Navy being complete douches.

Kiora found herself being thrown through another wall. The floor in this room was slick with fluid. A quick glance revealed it to be the room where Naruto's clones had raped her.

Rage bubbled up inside her, fueling the Kyuubi's chakra. Her ears sprouted fur and migrated to the top of her head. She grabbed her pouch of ninja tools and her two swords, turning back to face Naruto.

"Come on, dear," he said. "I just want to have fun." He laughed a cold, high laugh.

Kiora tossed the pouch of kunai and shuriken to the side. With a flick of her thumbs, she unsheathed both swords, sending them airborne. Tossing the scabbards aside, she caught her weapons, ready to face her opponent.

Within a blink of an eye, she was gone, already behind Naruto. There was an eye-searing flash, and a blade swung down from out of her field of view to block her strike.

"Relax, Orion," said a tall, slender man. "Leave this to me." He wore an ANBU mask, though it was painted black and the Konoha leaf was sliced through.

"You must be Haikitsu," Kiora said. "The traitorous bastard who helped arrange this whole setup." With a snap of her fingers, chakra swirled in her hand to form the Rasengan. She drove it into his chest, sending him flying outside through three walls.

-----

Sasuke, Sakura, Kohana, and Melody split up as soon as they reached the surface. Each would give a signal if they found any trace of Kiora.

Melody headed east, towards the main gate. She fond no trace of her friend, but when she reached the gate, she found herself faced with a pair of opponents.

"Ganryu and Udo," she said, her Mangekyo activating.

"Well, if it ain't the little Uchiha brat," Ganryu said, falling into fighting position.

"Be careful," Udo said. "That is not a normal Sharingan."

Melody charged, flipping through handsigns for a fireball. Ganryu deflected the attack with his wind barrier, but found himself eye-to-eye with her when the flames dispersed.

She sucked him down into the Tsukuyomi realm, the illusionary space where hours or days of torture could be done in seconds. Melody proceeded to peel every inch of skin from the man's body, working slowly to ensure he stayed alive. If she completely shattered his mind, he would be unable to provide information.

They rose from the illusion, and Ganryu collapsed to the ground, his eyes out of focus. Udo had unslung his guitar case, and was in the process of opening it when his hands burst into flames. Specifically, jet-black Amaterasu flames.

Melody dropped onto her knees, exhausted from the amount of chakra the Mangekyo used. Udo's screams ceased, and his body was reduced to ash shortly afterwards.

"Thanks, sis," she muttered as her exhaustion gave way to waves of unconsciousness.

-----

Sasuke had headed west, towards the village's other gate. He also found no trace of Kiora, and prepared to fan out and search a larger area. He activated his Sharingan and doubled back along his original route, this time taking to the rooftops. He saw a flare of flames in the distance, followed by the Amaterasu's black flames, but neither was the signal they had agreed on. As long as she had the Mangekyo, only Nejimaru and Hakaishimaru would pose a real threat.

Trusting in his daughter to finish her own fight, he returned his attention to the task at hand. His own Mangekyo flared for an instant as he planted his right hand on the roof. Using it as pivot point, he narrowly avoided a deadly kick thrown his way by Sanryu.

"Not bad, Uchiha," the taijutsu expert greeted. Sasuke was not surprised by the Akatsuki member's appearance. With Kiora's return, no doubt Hakaishimaru had called in all of his resources to confront her.

He fell into a defensive stance, not wanting to face Sanryu in his area of expertise. Besides being able to beat Lee in taijutsu, he could use his chakra as a shield, and he was able to use ninjutsu and genjutsu.

"You know," Sanryu said. "All you Uchiha types are the same. Always with the eyes. That natural born kekkei genkai talent. Too bad for you Nejimaru has more hard work to build on that talent. You don't even know his full power, do you?"

Sasuke was determined not to let his guard down. He recalled a similar speech given to him by Lee during their first bout before the chuunin exams. "This isn't about Nejimaru right now," he said. "All we're here to do is rescue Kiora."

"We?" Sanryu echoed. "Ahh, a rescue squad. How brave of you all, trying to take on the Akatsuki, and for what? A silly little girl?"

"That girl is our comrade," Sasuke growled through clenched teeth. "Konohagakure's greatest hero."

"Konohagakure is dead!" Sanryu taunted, launching into a barrage of blows. Sasuke's Sharingan enabled him to parry the strikes, but he found no opening to counter attack. A substitution jutsu bought him precious distance and time to draw his Kusanagi blade.

"Ah, the gifted weapon from Orochimaru," Sanryu said. "Let me guess, you're hoping to get close enough to hit me with that Chidori Blade of yours."

Sasuke scowled, puzzled as to how the Akatsuki knew so much about his techniques. Then he remembered Haikitsu, the traitor among the ANBU. No doubt the man had a dossier of info on every member of the resistance, including Kiora. Thankfully, Kakashi had only mentioned the Kyuubi's presence in the girl to Sakura and the girl herself.

Sasuke closed his eyes, steeling his nerves. Running chakra through his sword, it glowed an electric blue. He exploded into motion, hurling the weapon at Sanryu. Removing the wraps from his wrists, he revealed the tattoos that could be used to summon weapons. He infused each shuriken with the Chidori's lightning, an almighty barrage of deadly projectiles.

Sanryu caught the Kusanagi blade and twirled it, deflecting the onslaught of shuriken. Sasuke flipped through handsigns, summoning a shadow doppelganger. It hit Sanryu from behind, causing the taijutsu expert to be hit by the last pair of throwing stars.

Sasuke and his clone flipped through identical handsigns, each conjuring a fireball. Sanryu found himself completely engulfed in flames, and his final screams of agony echoed loudly into the sky.

The doppelganger turned and headed back to the sewers. With the full force of the Akatsuki out, they were going to need backup. Sasuke himself continued along his path, now curious as to the condition of his daughter.

Arriving on the scene, he placed two fingers to her neck. _Good, _he thought. _She's still breathing. _He gave her a gentle shake, and her eyes snapped open.

"What happened?" she asked, leaping up. "Oh, wait." She put a hand to her head, remembering the fight with the two Akatsuki members. She glanced over at Ganryu's body, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing.

"I knocked him out with the Tsukuyomi," she said. "I wasn't sure how to best deal with Udo, so I resorted to the Amaterasu. It ended up draining me a little too much."

Sasuke nodded. They would need Sakura to wake Ganryu for questioning, so he prepared to send up the signal, a kunai tagged with a paper bomb. He was interrupted by a blast that sounded from several blocks away.

His eyes instantly located the source. A figure had been blown through an exterior wall, an plummeted out of sight, surrounded by debris.

-----

Sakura tumbled out of the way, easily avoiding the falling wood and plaster. She looked up, spotting the source. Kiora stood in the gaping hole in the side of the building, looking down on Haikitsu, who had nimbly landed in a crouch. His ANBU mask was cracked vertically, the left half missing to reveal a single blue eye on an otherwise unremarkable face.

Kiora's eyes flared red, a long, bushy tail erupting from the base of her spine. Her two swords were tossed to the ground in favor of her claws. A Rasengan formed in one of her hands, the Chidori in the other. Fueled by the Kyuubi's chakra, the sphere was an ominous red, the lightning an eerie yellow.

She took off, racing towards Haikitsu faster than the human eye could follow. She easily avoided his sword strikes and water-based attacks. Kiora caught his katana in the hand containing the Chidori, melting the blade. The Rasengan plunged into his abdomen, tearing him apart before he could even scream.

Her gaze turned to the hole in the building, where Naruto Uzumaki stood. He had donned his Akatsuki robe, the black and red cloth billowing in the wind. Sakura followed her daughter's line of sight, and nearly collapsed as she recognized the man.

She drew a kunai, wrapping a paper bomb around the handle. She tossed it skyward, the signal they had agreed on.

Kiora let out a primal roar, her eyes glowing pure crimson. Fur began to sprout over her naked body, whiskers growing from her cheeks. A second tail extended beside the first. The chakra swirling around her cut deep grooves in the pavement.

Kohana appeared at Sakura's side. "So this is the Kyuubi's full potential," she said.

"No," Sakura said. "This is just a fraction."

Kohana walked fearlessly up to the possessed Kiora, placing a hand on the girl's head. "Time for a nap," she said, unleashing a wave of chakra into her brain. Kiora slumped sideways, unconscious.

"Now, that's not very nice," said a male voice behind her. She spun to find Naruto facing her. His eyes were cold and distant.

_This reeks of a resurrection jutsu, _she thought. "You took my toy," he continued.

"You BASTARD!" Sakura shouted, leveling Naruto with a single punch. "You can get away with raping me, but I swear if you laid a hand on my daughter you'll wish you were still dead."

Kohana's eyes went wide. She scooped Kiora up, placing her over her shoulder. She nodded to Sakura and took off towards the old Haruno/Hyuuga home.

She passed Sasuke and Melody, responding to Sakura's summons. Sasuke nodded to his daughter, and she turned and followed the vampire, carrying Ganryu's unconscious body.

All of the windows of the wooden house had been shattered, the dwelling having been ransacked during the Akatsuki invasion. Kohana and Melody entered through Kiora's bedroom window. The mattress had been shredded. Drawers and clothes lay scattered. Apparently the Akatsuki had done a lot of searching to try and find clues to Kiora's whereabouts.

"Stay with her," she told Melody. "I'm going to help"

Melody opened her mouth to argue, but Kohana was already gone. She glanced at Kiora. Her hair was fading back to pink, the Kyuubi's chakra finally withdrawing from her system. The six-pronged seal flared up on her belly for an instant, then faded away.

Melody found herself following Kiora's chest as it rose and fell rhythmically with her breathing. A shiver ran down the unconscious girl's spine, and her eyes snapped open.

"Where's Naruto?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "I need to kill him."

Melody helped Kiora to her feet. "Naruto? He's dead, isn't he?" Kiora shook her head. She blushed as she realized she was still naked.

"Dammit," she muttered, digging through the debris in her room to find underwear. Melody thought she saw a tear in her eye, and she gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kiora slapped her hand away, shrieking, "Don't touch me!" Instantly afterward, she looked shocked at herself and took Melody's hand in her own.

"What did they do to you?" Melody asked softly. Kiora shook her head, futilely fighting back tears. She gave in, sobbing uncontrollably on Melody's shoulder.

-----

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, stunned. Sakura nodded grimly. Both of them stared at the man in Akatsuki robes. There was no mistaking it, though he looked no older than he had the day he died.

"You people keep calling me that," Naruto said. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "My name is Orion." He held out his hands, a Rasengan forming in each one.

Sasuke flipped through several signs, conjuring the Chidori. Sakura fell into her taijutsu stance. There was a moment of immense tension between the trio, then Kohana teleported into the mix.

"You there," she said, pointing at Naruto. "What is your purpose?" Sakura and Sasuke faltered, puzzled.

Naruto laughed. "To have my way with any I see fit, and to destroy all who oppose me."

Kohana smirked. "Just as I thought," she said. "A ghoul. You've been resurrected through sheer force of your own will. You couldn't get enough of life, so you sacrificed your memories and previous identity for a pale imitation of immortality. The only reason you have any chakra is because of the jutsus placed on you by Kamimaru. And it was only after that when you became useful to the Akatsuki."

Naruto's face contorted with rage. He slammed the twin Rasengan into the ground in front of him, the chakra exploding towards the vampire and two shinobi. Kohana teleported skyward, and Sakura and Sasuke each leaped sideways.

They reached Naruto at the same time. Sakura concentrated her chakra in her fist and drove it into Naruto's cheek, while Sasuke plunged the Chidori through his abdomen. They leaped back as Kohana chanted her spell, a nasty piece of dark magic that transferred the target's life force to the caster.

"Eat this," she said, unleashing the magic. Naruto shrugged off the spell as though it hadn't even touched him. "What?" Kohana shouted, enraged.

Naruto's broken neck snapped back into place with a nasty crunch as the hole in his gut swirled shut. "I am immortal," he said. "Nothing you try can kill me." He took off, charging at Sakura while drawing a kunai.

Sasuke intercepted, his sword parrying the tiny knife. With lightning fast reflexes, Naruto's free hand jerked forward, aiming at the red and black of Sasuke's Sharingan eye.

He was already gone, ducking under Naruto's arm and coming up with a kick. Naruto rocked back just in time to avoid being thrown into the air. The two leaped apart, drawing shuriken at the same moment. The weapons collided in midair, each one ricocheting harmlessly away. Sasuke planted his right hand on the ground.

"Chidori Stream," he said, shooting Naruto a glare. Electricity coursed through the ground, exploding under Naruto's feet.

"Is it over?" Sakura asked, moving to Sasuke's side. They waited for the dust to settle. "I don't sense him," she said.

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, relaxing slightly. "I think I got him," he said. He looked to Sakura. "Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed heavily. "I can't believe he came back,"she said.

"Believe it!" shouted a voice as a fist erupted from the ground in front of Sasuke. A hand appeared from nowhere and grabbed Naruto's fist, twisting it behind his back and holding him pinned, a kunai to his neck.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said, grinning. "I see you got the message." He looked around to find most of the Konoha resistance here.

"We're making a last stand," Lee said. "We will drive the Akatsuki from our home with the power of youth!"

"Lee, you're getting too old for that saying," Tenten said, leaning on her giant scroll. Neji nodded silently from behind them.

Natsuko and Ino rushed to Sakura's side. "Are you okay?" Ino asked. Sakura nodded.

"I'll be fine," she said. She dug in her pocket for the vial containing Melody's old eyes. Thankfully, it was still intact. "I need to get these to Kiora," she said. "They have the Byakugan gene implanted in them."

Ino carefully took the glass container. "I'll make sure to get them to her," she said. "Where is she?"

"Home," Kohana said from the sky. "Careful. The Akatsuki are all over the place."

"Can you go with her?" Sakura asked. Kohana nodded. She swooped down, grabbing Ino and Natsuko by the shoulder. They teleported away, leaving the group to deal with Naruto.

-----

"Where are you going?" Melody asked as Kiora dried the last of her tears. She pulled on a pair of panties and the only bra she could find.

"Naruto's still alive, but he doesn't have a heart anymore," Kiora said. "I found out when I hit him with the Chidori again."

"You know, I've always been meaning to ask this," Melody said. "How is it you can use the Chidori? Kakashi invented it and he only ever taught it to my dad. And he only taught it to me and Serenity. He said only Sharingan users could master the technique."

"I don't really know," Kiora said. "The very first time I used it was when I killed Naruto. It was just instinct. I let the patriarch gene take over, and just flipped through the first signs that popped into my head. As for the Sharingan only thing, Kakashi explained that it takes the Sharingan's perceptive ability to be able to use the Chidori effectively in combat. You move so fast when using it that you can't easily judge you're opponent's counter. The Byakugan is just as powerful as the Sharingan for that purpose."

"Wow, you almost sound smart," Natsuko said, sticking her head through the window. "How are you holding up?"

Kiora helped her former lover through the window. "I'll be alright," she said, smiling. Natsuko's expression made it falter, though.

"Don't lie," she said. "I know you too well. Something terrible just happened to you. If you can't even be honest to your friends, how can you expect us to help you."

Kiora put on a genuine smile this time. "I guess you're right," she said. She pulled on the only set of clothes she could find that hadn't been torn to ribbons. Sakura's old outfit still fit, but just barely. Kiora blamed boob growth.

Ino entered with Kohana. "We have something from your mother," she said. She held up the vial. "You can have your powers back in twenty-four hours."

"We don't have twenty four hours," she said. "Naruto's out there right now."

"Kakashi's already handled it," Kohana said. "He and the rest of the resistance are here. We're taking back Konoha today."

"I'm going to transplant these eyes into you," Ino said. "Sakura spliced the Byakugan gene into them. Once they become fully gray, they'll be ready for you."

"What about the Sharingan?" Kiora asked. Ino shrugged.

"We're dealing with pretty uncharted territory here," she said. "Nobody knows for sure, but Sakura said if you concentrate chakra in them before they've finished, it will ruin the eyes and you'll have lost your powers for good."

Kiora nodded. "How long will this take?" she asked. Ino put a hand on her forehead, knocking her unconscious with chakra.

"No time for you at all," she said. "Ready to help me?" Natsuko nodded, and uncorked the vial.

A/N: Geez, these chapters are getting long. This is the fifth or sixth straight 3000 word or more chapter. Considering Help Wanted, the crappy prequel to this, was less than 4000 over five chapters, I'd say my writing has improved. In all actuality, I'd like to revisit the first two books of the Help Needed series and completely redo them. I failed to really explain a lot of things concerning Kiora's patriarch gene, and there are some nasty plot holes. Kohana was supposed to have a long, lost lover, which ended up being Wolfwing, but you'd never know that from the description in HN1. I'm just unimpressed with my past work, and I feel I need to go back and improve it.

On an unrelated note, I finally have the plot for books 4 and 5 done. Not that I'll have any readers at that point. 4 will actually not have a villain. I know, blasphemy, right? I'm going to use it to develop Kiora as a character, to make her more 3 dimensional. It'll make more sense once this hits the conclusion. Until then, enjoy the final battle!


	20. Kiora's Training and Melody's Revenge

A/N: I never thought this would hit 20 chapters. I am honestly amazed. I don't see this hitting 25, but there are still quite a few things I need to do, so it's possible. The final battle with the Akatsuki is here, and we still have Midori, Naruto, Nejimaru, and Hakaishimaru to deal with. I won't waste any more space with the author's note, so enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Forgotten Realms. But watch out, Kishimoto. I'm coming for you...

_Where am I? _Kiora thought. A blue shape drifted just out of her field of view. _Why does this feel familiar?_

"Hey!" shouted an annoying voice. "How long are planning on sleeping? You promised me a race, and I hate to be disappointed."

_The hell? _Kiora shook her head to clear it. She saw the blue hedgehog, and did a double-take. _What kind of sedative is Ino using? I hope not something from her old habits..._

"You gonna move or what?" Sonic asked. "I'm waiting."

Kiora stood up, her surroundings spinning dangerously. "Let's get this over with," she said. She took a better look around, realizing she was standing on a highway. _Weird dream..._ she thought.

"I'll even let you call go," Sonic said, crouching into starting position. "Hope you don't lose as bad as last time."

Kiora rolled her eyes, then called on the Kyuubi's chakra. It never came. _What the hell? _Kiora thought. _Where's that damn fox?_

Then she remembered. This was during her training, while she was on the run with Kohana. She still had her patriarch gene, and all of the her old powers. Grinning to herself, she flipped through the thirteen handsigns and felt chakra flood her system, forcing the eight inner gates open.

"On your mark," she said, taking her position beside Sonic. "Get set."

There was an incredibly tense moment, each one waiting for the final signal. Kiora glanced sideways, catching the hedgehog's eye just as the word escaped her lips.

"Go."

-----

"So this is Konoha's resistance," Naruto said, still pinned under Kakashi. "Pathetic."

"Give it up, Naruto," the Hokage said. "You're out of this fight."

"I told you," the blond man said. "My name is Orion!" He twisted deftly, managing to free his hands long enough to form a single handsign. His doppelgangers appeared, quickly outnumbering the Konoha shinobi.

Sasuke's Chidori raced in, taking out three. Kakashi joined in, pulling his headband off of his Sharingan eye. His Raikiri sliced through a pair, racing towards the original, who had escaped in the mayhem.

Lee was pursuing the original, chasing Naruto through alleys and back streets. They raced over piles of debris, Lee struggling to remove his weights as he ran.

Naruto vanished around a corner, and Lee followed a second later. He faced an empty street, and he realized he had been led far from his companions.

"So, Konoha has decided to resist," said a voice. Nejimaru Uchiha landed in front of him, carrying a katana in a black sheath. "I would be impressed, if you all weren't so weak."

Lee glared at him. With one fluid motion, he knelt, pulled the weights from his legs, and spun, hurling the heavy objects as weapons.

Nejimaru's counter was so fast that Lee only saw a flash of light as the katana's blade whipped through the air. The time it took the sword to leave and return to its scabbard was less than the blink of an eye. The weights, split in two, fell harmlessly to the ground.

"I will allow you to leave now, with your life," Nejimaru said. "Or you can stay and die."

Lee's eyes narrowed, contemplating the situation. He drew a kunai, twirling it between his fingers. The fighter in him didn't want to back down, but a very human fear gripped him. This was the son of Itachi Uchiha, the man who killed all seven Swordsman of the Mist at once. The man who killed another Sharingan user with just a look.

"Very well," said Nejimaru. "If you won't decide, I will decide for you." He drew his sword slowly this time, deliberately letting the steel sing as it slid from the sheath. "Die."

-----

Kiora leaned heavily, her hands on her knees. She looked behind her, watching as Sonic crossed the finish line. The hedgehog had gone super during the race, but Kiora had already been through enough hell to beat him when she had her patriarch gene. She missed the power it gave her, but she reminded herself that thanks to Ino, she'd have her abilities back soon.

The ground dissolved under her feet, and she suddenly found herself falling. _Wonder how far into the rabbit hole I'm tumbling, _she thought. She landed nimbly when she felt solid ground beneath her, and stood to get a look at her new surroundings.

She was in a familiar Arctic wasteland. A mountain range loomed over the horizon far to the south, visible over the sheets of ice and snow. A glacier dominated the east, and she stood in the shadow of Kelvin's Cairn, the lone mountain in the middle of Icewind Dale.

Kohana's voice greeted her. "How long are you going to look around? It's not like you haven't seen it every day for the past nine months."

"Today's the day of the final test, right?" Kiora asked. Kohana nodded, confirming her suspicions. She was re-living the final part of each phase of her training, courtesy of Ino's anesthesia.

She hopped up the side of the mountain, quickly reaching the cave where she and her dark elf sparring partner were training. "I am ready," she said. Her teacher, Drizzt Do'Urden, turned to face her. His black skin contrasted sharply with the white and blue of the snow and ice.

"Then retrieve your weapon and step outside," he said. Kiora seized Hiashi's sword and exited the cave. Drizzt followed, his boots moving silently along the ground. Twin scimitars hung from his hips, each a trophy from various adventures in his life. His forest green traveling cloak further set him apart from the wintery wasteland.

Kiora strapped the katana to her own hip, placing a hand on the scabbard. Her kunai pouch was strapped to her left thigh today, as opposed to the usual right. She drew the sword, holding it ready in front of her. The tension in the air increased as Drizzt stood perfectly still, not drawing his blades as he had since they had started.

Drizzt had quickly reasoned that the katana was used for offensive maneuvers rather than defensive. He tailored his training methods to hone Kiora's offensive capabilities.

Her feet dug into the powder, her sword coming from its scabbard fast as lightning. Drizzt's scimitars came out faster, appearing in his hands as though they were simply willed into existence. Her slash was parried, but she spun, coming in low from the opposite side. Again a scimitar blocked her strike. She came in with a lunge, thrusting in straight with the point of her sword.

As expected, he blocked with the double cross down, crossing his blades over her sword and forcing it harmlessly low. His boot came up between his swords, aiming to kick her flat on her back. Kiora took her left hand off of her sword and caught his boot, forcing it up over her head. She twisted with her sword, slashing upward at the back of his leg.

He leaped with his other foot, ending up nearly standing on Kiora's hand. She quickly parried his downward strikes, releasing his foot and rolling away. As she rolled, she drew a kunai, hurling it at her opponent. Drizzt knocked it easily aside, stepping towards her in its wake. He wore a pair of enchanted anklets that enabled his feet to move at superhuman speed, and he closed the distance instantly. He thrusted with his blades, both coming in at her abdomen. Lacking a second sword, she could not pull off the double cross down parry, so she forced chakra to her feet and leaped over the scimitars. She landed on the dull back of the blades, thrusting with her own katana.

Drizzt leaned back, his upper body horizontal to avoid the stab. Kiora planted a foot in his chest and kicked, forcing him flat on his back. She pressed her sword's tip to his throat, her free hand drawing a kunai just in case.

"Nicely done," Kohana said. The vampiress had been watching from the safety of the cave, hoping that Kiora would finally beat Drizzt, even in sparring.

Drizzt nodded and Kiora stepped back, extending a hand to help him to his feet. He took it, motioning to follow him into the cave. She obeyed, moving deeper into the darkness until they reached the back wall.

"This is for you," he said, producing a katana in a black sheath. "Forged by the greatest weaponsmith in all of Icewind Dale."

Kiora drew the sword, marveling at its gleam. Even here in the darkness, it reflected enough light that it seemed to be glowing.

"Try using that mysterious energy of yours," Drizzt said. Kiora ran chakra through the blade, and grinned as flames and electricity sprang to life.

Kiora sheathed the sword, bowing deeply. "Thank you," she said. Kohana stepped forward. "Time to go," she said.

Kiora felt her surroundings disappear, but this time she did not fall. Instead, she felt as though she was rising, being brought out of the fog.

She found herself face-to-face with Ino. "What the hell kind of sedative are you using?" Kiora asked.

Ino's puzzled expression was comical at best. "The same technique Sakura uses, I just use a different flower as the basis for the mixture."

"Might wanna pick a different one next time," Kiora said. She shook her head, clearing the last of the memories. She looked in the mirror still hanging over her battered dresser. There was a huge crack in it, but she could see that her eyes were now black with gray patches.

Kiora ran past Ino before the woman could oppose her, leaping out the open window. She had to get to her mother and help her.

-----

Kakashi rounded the same corner Lee had not moments before. By the time he caught up to the younger taijutsu master, it was too late.

Lee's body had been cut nearly in two, held together by strands of skin and sinew. Kakashi charged his Raikiri again, ready to take Nejimaru down.

The Uchiha flipped through a trio of handsigns, making eye contact with his Mangekyo. Kakashi's jutsu lost its power, disappearing. Confused, he flipped through more handsigns, while Nejimaru simultaneously flipped through the same number.

The doppelgangers he was trying to summon never came. "Counterspell," he said, realizing what Nejimaru was doing. "An impressive use of your Sharingan." He had reduced the battle to taijutsu, eliminating ninjutsu and genjutsu.

"This sword is something particularly special," Nejimaru said. "It was forged by the same man who crafted the Hyuuga clan's sacred blade. One might even go so far as to call the swords twins."

He ran chakra through the blade, turning it jet black. "That idiotic Hyuuga brat doesn't even know what her weapons are capable of," he said.

"An idiotic brat now, am I?" Kiora asked, looking down at the pair from the nearest rooftop. Melody stood beside her, having followed immediately behind her from the house. They both jumped down to join Kakashi.

"And I suppose I'm a little bimbo, right?" Melody said. Her eyes swirled in their sockets, the Mangekyo forming.

Kiora looked up to Melody, eying the girl who was her same age but appeared much older. She smiled up at her, then leveled her gaze at Nejimaru.

"You killed my friends," Kiora said. She drew her swords, retrieved from where she dropped them.

"And my sister," Melody added. She pulled the wrappings from her hands, revealing similar tattoos to her father.

Kiora charged, her sword leaping to life with fire and lightning. She led with the double thrust, hoping to catch Nejimaru off-guard and disembowel him. He slashed downward, pushing both swords harmlessly aside. Kiora spun, coming in the other way. Her flaming sword led, racing in at his face.

His sword came up to parry. The chakra-infused blade bit into her own sword, and the flames extinguished. Kiora watched in horrifying slow motion as her sword was cut in two. Nejimaru's katana followed through, heading for her face. She barely got her other sword up in time to block.

The severed blade of her now broken sword flipped away, burying itself in the ground.

"Such a flimsy weapon," Nejimaru said. "I had heard it was a gift to you. Pity it was so poorly made. An amateur smith at best."

Kiora held the clinch, not trusting her own abilities with the way he had countered her moves. "Melody, NOW!" she shouted.

Jet black Amaterasu flames ignited on the sleeve of Nejimaru's robe. He yelped and jumped back, tearing his robe from his body as quickly as he could. Kiora fled to Melody's side, leaning heavily on her sword.

Without his robe, Nejimaru sported no shirt with his black pants, muscles rippling under his skin. If they weren't on opposite sides, and Kiora wasn't the way she was, she might have been attracted to him. "You have the eternal Mangekyo," he said. Melody remained expressionless. "I can't put out the Amaterasu."

Kiora stood, sliding her sword back into its sheath. The temptation to activate her Byakugan was nearly overwhelming, but she closed her eyes and fought it off.

"This fight was decided before it began," Nejimaru said. Kiora and Melody both tensed, expecting him to attack. "I cannot win. My Sharingan can't stand up to the eternal Mangekyo, and even with the Uchiha clan's sacred blade, I cannot best the Hyuuga clan patriarch gene carrier in close combat."

Melody and Kiora looked at each other in disbelief. "Wait, what?" Kiora asked. "Are you giving up?"

Nejimaru sheathed his sword and tossed the weapon to Melody. "That blade was passed down from Madara Uchiha. Its only equal is the Hyuuga blade, carried by the girl beside you. Hakaishimaru has overstepped his bounds. He got too greedy, and must pay for that. I suppose I can trust you to handle it?"

Kiora was still too stunned to take it in. She had expected this fight to be long and difficult, not end after one exchange, especially one that Nejimaru had come out of on top. Melody, however, was already prepared for her next action.

The lightning of the Chidori appeared in her hands. At the same time, she ran both of her thumbs over her weapon summoning tattoos, drawing massive shuriken. She ran the Chidori's chakra through the weapons, hurling them at Nejimaru.

"You will still pay for murdering my sister," she said, watching as the projectiles closed in on her opponent.

"I understand," her cousin said, closing his eyes as the weapons tore him in two. Kiora, Melody, and Kakashi watched in silence as his body hit the ground.

"Such a shame," said a female voice. "We never expected him to turn at the last second." The trio looked up to see Midori looking down from the nearest rooftop. "You see, I knew this whole business with Hakaishimaru was bad for the Akatsuki. We should have never accepted him."

She leaped down to face the two girls. "I hate Hakaishimaru," she announced. "I'm offering a truce. Help me out of the Akatsuki and I'll lead you to him."

Kiora and Melody looked to each other, then to Kakashi, who nodded. "Fine," Kiora said, extending her hand. Midori shook it, and the four headed to the remains of the Hokage's mansion.

-----

"Nejimaru and Midori have both surrendered to the other side," Naruto said as he entered Hakaishimaru's chamber under the Konohagakure front gate. "Nejimaru is dead. I fear Sanryu, Udo, and Ganryu share the same fate. I saw Haikitsu fall with my own eyes."

"And what is the status on Kiora Hyuuga Haruno?" Hakaishimaru asked. He put his hands to his head. It seemed the world and empire he was planning was crumbling around him. The incident in Sunagakure had left it without a soul, and the remaining other villages had not fared much better. The population of the entire continent was a tenth of what it was five years ago, and even that was a quarter of what it had been twenty-five years ago.

"She is very much alive, and it seems she has the power of the nine-tailed demon fox," Naruto said. "She is becoming more of a pest than I can recall."

"Indeed," the Akatsuki leader said. Their group of nine was down to two, and now it didn't look like there was much hope of getting out of all of this alive. But, he still had his Nusumigan, and that was more powerful than even the Rinnegan of the one called Pain.

A/N: Well, we're coming to the conclusion. I predict four more chapters, give or take. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I hope to see you all next chapter.


	21. Disposable Heroes 2

A/N: Wow, this is really coming to an end, isn't it? I think this'll all be wrapped up in about four chapters, three if I get writer's block and shorten stuff, and five if I feel very inspired all of a sudden.

Disclaimer: Naruto me not own in words and stuff. Yeah. I don't get it either.

Kiora checked her reflection in the blade of a kunai just before they entered the Hokage's mansion. Her eyes were now almost completely gray,though it appeared as though they were gray with the black teardrops of the Sharingan on them.

"They're my old eyes," Melody said. "Your mother spliced the Byakugan gene into them. She said it would be twenty-four hours until they were ready. But that was just a few hours ago."

Kiora suspected the Kyuubi's chakra was fueling the recovery. They followed Midori into the debris-strewn front hall, carefully avoiding the more unstable areas. The entire building gave of the vibe that it could crumble at any moment. Midori led them into an adjacent room, which appeared to only have one exit: the one they had come in.

"This is the point of no return," Midori said. "There will be no escape after this."

Melody spun on the ex-Akatsuki member. "If I find out this is a trap, I'm killing you when we get out."

"How can a trap be worse than facing Hakaishimaru," Kiora reasoned. "If she wanted us dead, leading us to him would be the quickest way, and since we need to find him to kill him, it's a win-win."

"Fair enough," Melody said. Her hand still drifted nervously to the hilt of her new sword. Her fears were not abated as Midori pulled a hidden switch and a panel of the wall slid away to reveal a hidden passageway.

"This will lead to Hakaishimaru's lair," she said. "I fear Orion is already there. He'll have exposed your abilities to him."

Kiora nodded, stepping into the passageway. She turned to Midori. "Go to my mother, explain everything, and tell them to wait for me. I'm going to end this."

"We're going to end this," Melody corrected. She was breathing heavily, having expended a lot of chakra in all of the various fights. Kiora nodded. She herself was running primarily on pure adrenaline at this point, between Naruto's assault, the ordeal with the Kyuubi, and the subsequent, yet brief, encounter with Nejimaru. She didn't want to have to rely on the Kyuubi's chakra again, especially not this close to getting her powers back.

They worked their way through the tunnels, surprised to not find any traps or forks in the path. It almost seemed too easy, but this was most likely designed as an escape path for the Hokage in the event that the enemy reached deep into the village. The two walked in silence, each trying to recover as much as they could on the way.

The smooth brick wall gave way to rough stone after a short trip. Moss began to appear soon afterward, and Kiora suspected they were under the river that ran through town. That meant they were heading for the main gate, if she was remembering her directions right.

Several more silent minutes passed, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps in the dirt and dust. Finally, they came to a wooden door. It seemed too simple, to easy.

"Is this it?" Kiora wondered aloud. The door opened before she or Melody could do anything.

"Please, come in," said Naruto. "Greetings, my little toy."

Kiora resisted the urge to strangle the man, deciding instead to play along with Hakaishimaru. They were led into a small chamber, where he was seated in a comfortable looking armchair.

"Hakaishimaru," Kiora said. "How's it been since you stole my powers?"

"From what I hear, you have plenty of power even afterward," he responded. Kiora glared at Naruto. The little rat had told him about the Kyuubi.

"The Kyuubi is dangerous," Hakaishimaru continued. "This whole ordeal was dangerous. Although, I must know, where is Kohana? If it wasn't for that little witch I'd have never escaped Lucifer's clutches."

"She's helping the villagers," Kiora said. "Why don't you explain a little more about how all of this came about. I really don't understand how the greatest shinobi villages fell prey to nine rogue ninjas."

Hakaishimaru smirked. It was neither pleasant nor comforting. "It only happens once every few millennium that Lucifer releases a soul from Hell. Kohana's reason was rather unique, but it provided a very ideal opportunity for me. The demons that escorted her from Lucifer's private torture chamber passed right by me, and I followed on a whim. Normal souls are easily detectable to demons, but as an elite shinobi I possess powers of stealth unrivaled even in the afterlife.

"When the gate was opened to this plane of existence, the guards turned their backs for a brief moment, and that's when I made my escape. Upon reaching this world again, I returned to the cavern that I once used as a base of operations.

"In my original mortal life I was the ruler of the last great shinobi empire. It fell, just after my sons were born. Fraternal twins, Madara and Hiashi. I was the last of the clan, the ruling family, and the lower class knew. So they revolted, and the empire crumbled. I thought my sons were slaughtered, but somehow they were spared, and taken into separate families. Madara was taken in by the Uchiha, and Hiashi was raised by the early Hyuuga.

"The clans did not have any kekkei genkai before then. It took my blood, through my sons, to create the modern Uchiha and Hyuuga clans, though as I understand it, they are very nearly extinct now. I myself was killed during the revolt, and the empire crumbled.

"Thus began the dark ages for shinobi. There was no longer a ruling government, and that resulted in many wars. Finally, after several bloody conflicts, the beginnings of the five Great Nations appeared. And I'm sure you know the history of your own village, so you won't need that lesson from me."

Kiora and Melody nodded. They were at a loss for words. Kiora had a thought. "Explain the reason for this takeover," she demanded. "Depending on your answer, I might not kill you as painfully as I was planning."

"So you are determined to kill me regardless of my answer?" Hakaishimaru asked, laughing sinisterly. "Very well. I wanted my old power back, the influence and control that came from being an emperor. The cavern I returned to was apparently the base of operations for the Akatsuki. I took over, and we set about conquering. The goal was to re-create the empire, re-establish stability between the Great Nations, and thus end the shinobi wars."

"You try and make it sound noble," Kiora said. "Ending war, establishing order, save people the misery of conflict. But you just want to be in charge again. You're nothing more than a selfish nobleman, clinging to a life that you were too stupid to hold on to."

She snapped into motion, drawing several shuriken from her thigh holster and launching them the short distance to Hakaishimaru. Naruto's doppelganger intercepted the weapons.

"You have to kill me first, my dear," he said. His Rasen-Shuriken formed in his hand. Kiora moved instantly, kicking his hand upwards and driving the jutsu into the ceiling overhead.

The blast shook the village to its foundation. The underground hideout collapsed, half of the ceiling burying the occupants, the other half blasted skywards by Naruto's attack.

Kiora jumped up and out of the hole, pursuing the undead Akatsuki member. She realized they were just outside the main Konoha gates. Naruto ran straight up the wooden gate, and Kiora followed, gaining with each vertical stride.

Naruto plunged his Rasengan into the top of the wall as he passed over. He disappeared from view as debris filled Kiora's field of vision. She forced open the first inner gate and wove her way through the falling rubble. She vaulted over the wall, eagerly pursuing her foe.

-----

Melody coughed, dust trying to fill her lungs. Her Mangekyo activated, in an effort to see through the rubble. She saw a glimpse of Hakaishimaru fleeing through the collapsed ceiling, and decided to follow. In the back of her mind, she remembered the words of warning given by Kakashi and Sakura.

_Don't look him in the eye, _she thought. _It's cost me too much to get these eyes, I can't afford to lose them. _

The memory of Serenity fueled her determination, and she chased after Hakaishimaru. He ducked into an alley, weaving a complex and difficult to follow path. Melody stayed on his trail, her Chidori charging in her right hand. She thought she saw Naruto and Kiora pass by overhead, but she didn't want to lose the trail and ignored it.

Hakaishimaru disappeared around a corner, and Melody followed, only to end up face-to-face with her father. The remnants of a cloud of smoke dissipated around them.

"He disappeared," Sasuke said. "I'm willing to bet he was using a shadow doppelganger to lure you away while he escaped."

Melody nodded. She turned away from her father, dispelling her Chidori. Leaning on a wall, she let out a long sigh.

"The rest of the group is over here," Sasuke said. "Let's join them."

Melody nodded again, putting her weight back on her feet as she followed Sasuke. Hopefully regrouping would help them in the upcoming fight.

-----

Kiora let loose a primal roar, frustrated by Naruto's uncanny ability to stay just out of reach. He laughed and dodged around a corner, and Kiora followed, just the same. She matched him, pace for pace, for what felt like hours, trying to get an edge.

"What are you doing?" Kohana asked, appearing at her side. "You're not really trying, are you?"

Kiora looked confused, but maintained her breakneck pace. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen you break the sound barrier on multiple occasions," Kohana said. "In addition, you supposedly know this village like the back of your own hand. Why are you wasting time chasing him when you could have been doing the intelligent thing and trapping him?"

Kiora forced back a sheepish grin. "Oops," she said meekly. She abruptly pulled back from the chase to retrieve her ninja tools and sword belt. She quickly devised a plan, and conjured a shadow doppelganger to help carry it out. She drew her sword and took to the rooftops while her clone stayed on the ground.

She spotted Naruto as he ducked into an alley not far from Ino's old home. She motioned to her clone and then chased in behind him. He caught sight of her and fled, running around the corner.

Kiora followed, expecting to find a puddle of goo where there was once a human being, but Naruto was not dead. Her trap had not been sprung. Instead he balanced precariously, his face millimeters away from the trip wire that was rigged to set off four dozen paper bomb tags.

Kiora laughed loudly, drawing a kunai as she turned her back on the scene. Fleeing, she tossed the weapon and plugged her ears as it sliced cleanly through the trip wire. The bomb tags detonated, throwing her off-balance, but she caught herself and turned to watch the plume of smoke rise.

"Way to give away your position," said a voice in her left ear. She spun instantly, leading with the tip of Hiashi's sword. It was parried by a kunai, held by none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

"How did you escape?" Kiora asked through clenched teeth.

"You're not the only shinobi who knows how to spring a trap. I lured you into that scenario with one of my doppelgangers."

Kiora ran chakra through the blade of her sword, as she had seen Nejimaru do. Instead of turning jet black, the Hyuuga blade turned pearl white. It bit into the steel of Naruto's kunai, and she jerked it from his grasp. A split second later, she drew her own kunai and drove it into his chest.

"You think that'll stop me?" Naruto asked mockingly. He pulled the weapon free and tossed it aside, his skin already knitting itself together.

"Tell me," Kiora said from above him. "How does that body of yours react to fire?"

Naruto's eyes went wide as he saw what Kiora was doing. In one hand, she held a Rasengan, while she flipped through handsigns in her free hand for a fireball. She added the flames to the chakra sphere, then charged.

Naruto formed his Rasen-Shuriken, and the two collided, the jutsus exploding in a mass of swirling chakra. They were each blown back, but Kiora recovered faster. She flipped in midair, planting her feet on the wall of the building behind her and launching herself at Naruto, her chakra infused sword leading the charge.

The sword, edged in silver and blessed by the Hyuuga clan's shrine elder, cut through the undead body of the former Konoha ninja like butter. Naruto was split in two from groin to crown, a look of disbelief on his face.

The jutsus Kamimaru placed on him were dispelled, and Naruto's false life came to an abrupt end. The flesh melted from his bones, leaving a battered and broken skeleton on the ground.

Kiora sheathed her sword, breathing heavily. She stared into the dirt, willing away the horror at having killed one of her former village members. Then she remembered what he had done to her, how he had violated first her lover and now her, and the feeling of vengeance put her at ease.

She turned and headed back to the village center, hoping to find Melody and Hakaishimaru.

A/N: I know, the chapters are getting shorter, but it's all I can do to keep from spilling everything all at once. I'm trying to keep from wrapping up everything in one swoop like I did with HN 1. Anyways, read, review, and please be patient, I know you'll like the ending! Just a few chapters to go!


	22. The End of Everything

A/N: Well, you can probably expect Hakaishimaru to be dead by the end of this chapter, if not the next one. The final battle will eat up this chapter, and then the wrapping up of loose ends will occur in the next few.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. So stop harassing me, Becky.

As the sun sank below the horizon, Kiora joined the remainder of the group. Midori was the first to acknowledge her presence, giving her a brief nod as she passed. Kiora gathered from the fact that the former Akatsuki member was not bound and gagged that her fellow village members had believed her.

She found Kakashi, eager to get an update on the situation, and also to inform him of Naruto's defeat. "What's the status on Hakaishimaru?" she asked.

"We don't know," Kakashi said. "Melody was in pursuit but lost him. He's an elite shinobi, if he doesn't want to be found, he won't reveal himself."

Kiora nodded silently. As darkness settled in on the village, Sasuke lit a fire, and the ninja gathered around it.

"We've lost a lot," Sakura said. "We've lost too many of our comrades trying to free ourselves from Hakaishimaru's grasp. We can't afford to lose anything else."

"What are you saying, mom?" Kiora asked.

"I'm saying that if we can't avoid losing anyone else, we need to forget about this. We've defeated the entire Akatsuki save for one, and we've loosened their grasp on the continent enough that we can take it back."

Kiora stared at her mother with a look of apprehensive confusion. "So you're saying we should just give up and take what we can get?"

"Now, don't look at it like that," Sakura pleaded. "I'm just saying, we've lost Lee, Serenity, and so many others to the Akatsuki. I don't want to risk losing anyone else."

"I'm going to end this," Kiora said. "Nothing will stop me. Hakaishimaru will pay for what he's done to this village."

She turned away from her mother, ending the conversation. Kakashi spoke up. "You, Melody, Sasuke, and Sakura have spent the most chakra, so you should get some sleep. The rest of us will sleep in shifts to keep watch."

Kiora nodded. A long and restless night awaited.

-----

Melody followed her father at a breakneck pace through Konoha's forests. Sasuke swore he felt Hakaishimaru's presence in this direction, and Melody was too low on chakra to contradict him.

"We need to stop," she said. "I need to rest and regain some stamina."

Sasuke shook his head. "We'll lose him if we stop now," he said. "We must press on."

Melody nodded and continued. She pulled a ninja food pellet from her pouch and popped the tiny pill. It recharged her system, giving her more chakra and allowing her to focus more easily. The last thing Chouji had done for the village was craft a special food pill tailored to each of their abilities, but Melody didn't want to use it until absolutely necessary. Also, Kiora didn't have one, so she wanted to save it in case her friend needed it.

Melody activated her Sharingan, hoping to get some sort of confirmation of her father's beliefs. Instead she was left more confused as Sasuke quickened his pace.

-----

Kiora awoke several hours later, though it was still dark save for the glowing embers of the fire. The moon hadn't moved from its location in the sky.

"How long has it been?" she asked aloud. A figure turned to greet her.

"About seven hours," Ino said. "Something's not right. The moon should have set two hours ago, and the sun should be up in about an hour, but it's as dark as it was at midnight, when I last stood watch."

Kiora frowned. "I don't like the looks of this." She turned to Melody and shook the girl to rouse her.

The Uchiha girl's eyes snapped open, instantly on the alert for a threat. She sat up, looking at Kiora with curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Kiora shook her head. "We're not sure," she said. "Time doesn't seem to be flowing. The easiest answer would be a genjutsu, but it might be something much more severe."

Melody nodded. "If it's a genjutsu, I'll break it down," she said, activating her Sharingan. It morphed in its socket, the colors inverting into her eternal Mangekyo. She made eye contact with Kiora for a split second, and suddenly Kiora was being pulled down into a pit of darkness blacker than the darkest cave.

-----

Melody continued to grow more and more confused about her father's actions. They had been running for hours, but had not made much progress. The sun was beginning to brighten the sky in the pre-dawn light, and they had been running since before it had set. She activated her Mangekyo, determined to figure out what was going on.

Her father was an illusion. The forest around her was an illusion disguising the perimeter of the village. She had been running in circles all night. She flipped through several handsigns, dispelling the illusions.

She re-entered the village, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until she discovered what she was looking for. The villagers were all asleep, huddled around a burnt out campfire except for someone in the guise of herself, locked eye-to-eye with Kiora.

-----

"Hakaishimaru," Kiora said, recognizing the villain standing before her. Her arms and legs were shackled to a wall, unable to move. Thankfully, she hadn't been stripped.

"You Konoha shinobi always get complacent after the slightest victory," he said. "You did so after the original sealing of the Kyuubi, which enabled the Uchiha massacre. You did so after the peace with the Land of Clouds, enabling Orochimaru's attack. And you did so after the destruction of Kohana, thus enabling my rise to power. You never retain the keen-edged vigilance needed to remain on top. You have been lucky to be the most powerful shinobi nation on the continent, but with everything that's occurred, you probably won't be around much longer. You have less than two dozen people in this village now, less than a hundred in the entire continent. Even if you succeed against me, you will all be the last generation of ninja before the human race goes extinct."

"Even if we must abandon this world, we can flee to another. Kohana has the power, and I know another Konoha willing to aid us," Kiora said.

"Are you so certain?" Hakaishimaru asked. "Could not those you once considered allies truly be enemies, biding their time for the right chance to strike? How can you know if this 'other Konoha' is not simply an enemy waiting to devour the last of this world once you get complacent again after beating me?"

"Because they were the ones who helped me beat Kohana, and they're my sisters," she retorted. "Even if we come from entirely different worlds, I can always count on my sisters to help me."

"How touching," Hakaishimaru said, almost seeming genuine. "But they can't reach you here, in this space I've created. My Nusumigan eye has more than just the ability to steal your Byakugan. It can create illusory realms like this one, in which hours, days, or even weeks can pass in an instant. I control all matter here, though I cannot completely destroy you, like the beautiful Tsukuyomi ability of Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Before you took out the rest of those foolish Akatsuki, I took a virtual snapshot of their mental states with my eyes, allowing me to replay each of them as a shadow doppelganger disguised with the Art of Transformation. I am curious, you see. You have no more power in this realm than a normal human girl, so I will release you from those chains and have you fight the Akatsuki all at once. Should you reign supreme, you will undo this jutsu and find yourself back in Konoha.

"However, should you lose, you will remain in this realm forever, with Orion and his clones to keep you company for eternity."

He released Kiora from her bonds, and Kiora found herself heavy and sluggish without her powers. This was worse than when she lost the patriarch gene. Hakaishimaru summoned his doppelgangers, each one performing a transformation to become one of the Akatsuki.

"Well, if it ain't the little girl with the big fireball," Ganryu said. "How're yah doin'?"

Kiora glared at them, falling into her taijutsu stance. "I'm curious to see how well your taijutsu performs in this place," Sanryu added from behind her.

"Let's let my puppets kill her," Midori said.

Only Naruto would have the audacity to walk up behind her, and squeeze her breasts. "Greetings, my little pet. Care to enjoy some of my company?"

Kiora spun with a crescent kick, aimed directly at his face. The pervert caught her ankle, holding it over her head while he ground his growing erection against her butt.

"I bet even after all the times my clones penetrated you, you're still as tight as this perfect teenage body leads me to believe."

Kiora grabbed his wrists and struggled against him, but to no avail. He used his free hand to grope her even as she tried with all her might to hold him off. Her panties were slid down to her knees and his fingers dove into her delicate folds.

"You know, I know you have some nifty medical jutsus from your mother that could make this more enjoyable for all of us," he teased.

Kiora seized the opportunity. "I do," she said, grinding her hips against his hand. "But you have to convince your boss to give me at least a basic shinobi's chakra level."

Naruto looked to Hakaishimaru, who shook his head. Kiora pressed her advantage, releasing Naruto's hand and stroking his manhood through his clothes. "Help me escape and I'll be yours forever," she said.

Naruto needed no further persuading. His doppelgangers appeared instantly, each one squaring off against another Akatsuki member. Midori, Kamimaru, and Udo were all killed before they could ready their defenses. Nejimaru's combat prowess enabled him to easily defeat the attacker, while Haikitsu, Ganryu, Sanryu, and Hakaishimaru all ended in a stalemate.

Naruto shoved Kiora to the ground, pulling her panties completely off before sliding them into his pocket. "A reminder of your oath," he said. He conjured his Rasen-Shuriken, ready to finish this battle.

-----

Melody roused the rest of the Konoha resistance, after confirming each of their identities with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

Now they gathered around Kiora and what they assumed was one of Hakaishimaru's doppelgangers, disguised as Melody. The real Melody examined the pair.

"They seem to be in a space closely resembling the Tsukuyomi Nightmare Realm of the Mangekyo," she said. "I can only guess that it is the predecessor of that ability. Which means that it doesn't occur instantly, and he probably can't kill her with it. However, I believe that breaking their contact might result in Kiora's consciousness being trapped there."

She reached into her pouch. It looked like she was going to need her custom food pill, after all. She popped the large red pill, shuddering as it slid down her throat. It completely recharged her chakra, and she activated her Mangekyo. She started flipping through handsigns, staring into the Nusumigan eye of the false Melody.

She felt herself descending into her Tsukuyomi realm, and hoped what she had done would work.

-----

Kiora was suddenly aware that she was falling, along with all of the Akatsuki members. The sky turned from green to red, and colors began to invert.

"What is this?" Hakaishimaru demanded as he landed. Colors shifted back to normal, and Melody stepped out of the shadows. "How can this be? I had you trapped in my most powerful genjutsu! You had nowhere near enough chakra to break the illusion."

"That's my little secret," Melody said. "I've added another factor to this little equation. We're now in a hybrid Tsukuyomi realm, which means I get to add my say into the rules around here."

She tossed a pocket-sized mirror to Kiora. "It's been twenty-four hours," she said. "Your mothers told me to tell you that you've become a wonderful woman, and they'll always be proud of you."

"Touching, I'm sure," Nejimaru said. "But useless here."

Kiora stared at her reflection. Her eyes were back. Her grey, pupil-less Byakugan eyes. She flipped through the thirteen handsigns of her signature jutsu, and felt the eight inner gates flood with chakra. In addition, she let the Kyuubi's chakra leak through, her hair turning orange, and sprouting fox ears and a tail.

"I'm going to kill you all," she said. "And that includes you, Orion or Naruto or whatever the fuck you're calling yourself now."

Hakaishimaru stepped forward, flipping through a string of handsigns Kiora had seen once before.

"You're not stealing my eyes again," she said, teleporting. Hovering over his head, she snapped Melody's mirror and flashed it in front of his eyes. His jutsu backfired on itself, and his head snapped back violently as the shock wave coursed through his body. His clones, the Akatsuki, disappeared.

Kiora touched down, closing the inner gates and shutting out the Kyuubi.

Hakaishimaru finally made eye contact with Kiora again, his eyes now black. Melody joined Kiora's side, and she dropped the Tsukuyomi illusion.

-----

"It would seem I was defeated," Hakaishimaru commented. He glared at his prisoner. Sasuke Uchiha hung from the ceiling, his hands bound by a sturdy rope.

"I told you it would happen," Sasuke said. "Now what?"

Hakaishimaru sliced through the rope, freeing the Uchiha. "Go," he said. "I have no more use for you, and maybe this one good deed will spare me in the eyes of the powers that be."

Sasuke shrugged and left, finding himself outside the building across the street from his apartment. He turned and headed for the village center, hoping to find the rest of the villagers.

Kiora stood as Hakaishimaru dropped the illusion, returning to his original form. Kohana stepped forward.

"Well, you played a good game," she said. "But I think Lucifer wants you back." She reached into her pocket, producing an old scroll. "Come on, Lou, I've got something that really ought to interest you."

The Konoha shinobi jumped back as the campfire sprang to life with towering flames. A bald man in a white suit stepped out of the inferno, brandishing a black walking stick.

"Hakaishimaru," he said. "How nice to see you again. You've done quite a job on this place, I see."

The beaten man hung his head. Lucifer strode forward and placed the tip of his walking stick on top of Hakaishimaru's head. He slammed the stick down to the ground, and Hakaishimaru disappeared.

"You've done me a great service," Lucifer said to the Konoha shinobi. "I can't bring back what he destroyed, but I have ensured that all of his victims will enjoy the afterlife. And, I have a gift to bestow to you," he said to Kohana.

He took the scroll from her grasp, and tossed it into the fire. "You're free," he said.

Kohana grinned. "I knew you'd come to see things my way," she said.

Lucifer glared at her. "Don't push it, kid," he said. He stepped into the fire. "I wish you all the best of luck."

He vanished, and the flames died down to embers. Kiora looked around the circle of family and friends.

"Now what?" she asked. A breeze kicked up her mother's old outfit, the cold air brushing her bare ass. "That bastard still has my panties!"

A/N: And that's all for this chapter. Don't worry, there's still some more loose ends to tie up, plus an epilogue, so don't write it off as gone just yet.


	23. Ancient Magic Undone

A/N: Well, it's time for those loose ends I mentioned. There's still a lot more to be done with this story, so count on some fun. For those who stick with it to the end, I have a special surprise.

Disclaimer: I don't know why I even bother saying this. Naruto's dead (again) so it's not like there's a show named after him or anything.

Kiora was jerked awake by her mother, shaking her urgently. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Tears were welling in Sakura's eyes. "It's Kakashi."

Kiora leapt out of bed and rushed down the hall. The Konoha survivors had used an abandoned hotel as shelter after the madness that had occurred. She burst through Kakashi's door, and was stunned at the scene.

Kakashi lay peacefully, his eyes closed. Surrounding him were the survivors of the Akatsuki's attack, each one looking mournful.

"He went in his sleep," Hinata said. "No foul play. He used too much chakra trying to help, and it put too much strain on his body."

Kiora nodded. Dying in one's sleep was a rare luxury for shinobi, and an end that fit Kakashi very well.

"Now what happens?" Aiko asked. "Who's gonna be Hokage?" Everyone turned to Sakura. Kiora looked up to her mother and nodded.

Sakura shook her head. "There is no more Konoha," she said sadly. "I have a new plan. We're rejoining the world."

Kiora looked confused, as did a large number of the occupants of the room. "You know what that means, don't you?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded.

"We need to gather the survivors from all of the hidden villages. Sasuke, go to Kirigakure. Neji, you head to Iwagakure. Anko, head to Kumogakure. We need to unite what's left of the shinobi nations. Bring back as many survivors as will follow you."

The three nodded and left, each heading their own way once they left the village. Melody watched her father from the window until he was out of sight.

Sakura turned to the remaining people. "They were the only other three who knew what I meant about rejoining the world," she said. "With the exception of Kohana. The continent that we are on is the only one on this planet. It's small, only large enough for the inhabitants of the shinobi nations. There was once a time when we were part of a world with eight continents, much larger than this one, in which all human beings resided.

"There was a rift," she continued. "The shinobi grew too power hungry, and with their knowledge of chakra and its workings, they stood poised to conquer the globe. Several level-headed members on each side came together, creating a plan that all agreed on. The shinobi continent would be locked away, sealed within the depths of the earth, on its own plain of existence. They erased all trace of the ninja from the history books, and the ninja would never trouble them again.

"The spell of sealing they used was more powerful than any I've ever encountered, and that includes the seals on the hosts of the tailed beasts. But with the population as low as it is, the only thing I can think of is to unseal the continent and rejoin the world."

Kiora nodded. "So how do we unseal it?" she asked. Sakura pulled an old, beat-up scroll from her pack.

"It's a multi-layered five prong seal," she said. "There are five altars, one at each furthest cardinal point on the continent, and one at the very center. The altars must be destroyed within thirty seconds of each other, otherwise the whole continent will sink into the sea. After that, there are five guardians that will rise, one from each altar. Each guardian specializes in one style of ninjutsu: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Lightning. There is no specific timing involved with defeating the guardians, so they'll probably be the easiest part of all of this. After each guardian is defeated, it will drop a talisman of sorts. These talismans must be brought back to the center altar's location, where they will be joined to form a key that will undo the last piece of the spell."

"Sounds like a hell of a task," Melody said. "When do we do it?"

"After Sasuke, Neji, and Anko return," Sakura said. "I want to include the other survivors in this decision."

There was a general murmur of consensus around the room.

"For now," Sakura continued. "I think we should give Kakashi a proper burial."

-----

Kiora looked to the sky as Sakura finished the proceedings for Kakashi's funeral. The three impromptu emissaries had rounded up more than fifty survivors, all of whom attended the last Hokage's funeral.

It was less than an hour before Sakura ushered everyone into the banquet hall of the hotel, eager to get on with the task at hand.

"We are all from different backgrounds, different villages," Sakura began. "But we are all united in that we are shinobi. The Akatsuki have attempted to drive us into submission, but we stood against them and survived.

"Unfortunately, we have lost many great comrades in this fight," she continued. "Kakashi Hatake, the entire village of Sunagakure, and countless others who may never be named. Those here are the last people on the entire continent, what was once a thriving land filled with all kinds of people. The ancients sealed this place, keeping us cut off from the rest of the world. It is time to undo that seal and rejoin the world.

"There may be hostilities against us. The world may not like the idea of people possessing strange abilities, and it probably won't know what to make of the re-appearance of an entire continent. I understand some of you may have doubts, but I say we put it to a vote. All those opposed to rejoining the world?"

She gazed around the room. Not a single hand was in the air. "All those for?" Every hand shot up. "Excellent," she said. "I need the strongest shinobi to come with me, please."

She headed out the side door of the stage, and a dozen ninja stood and followed. Kiora slid from her seat and joined them, noticing Melody and her father among them.

Sakura laid out a map on a large round table. "These are the locations of the five altars," she said, stabbing each point with a kunai. "North is fire, East is wind, South is earth, West is water, and in the center is lightning. I need to see who has the capabilities to counter each element. Sasuke, you're good with fire and lightning, so you should either square off against the wind guardian or earth guardian. Same goes for you two," she said, indicating Melody and Kiora. "Who here is the best with water?"

A Kirigakure ninja stepped forward. "I guess I am," he said.

"We can't afford guesses at this point," Sakura said. The man blushed slightly.

"Then I know I am," he said. "I'm the grandson of the Mizukage." Sakura nodded to him and had him stand by the North kunai.

"Any earth style fighters?" she asked. Kakashi was the last earth style ninja she had known.

There was a timid hand raised in the back. Sakura beckoned the kunoichi forward.

"I'm Yumi," she said. "Before all of this happened, I was the best fighter in my village."

Sakura nodded. Her hopes were not high as the next question formed in her head. Wind style ninja were rare. "I don't suppose I can get lucky enough to find a wind shinobi?"

Everyone slowly shook their head. _Damn, _she thought.

Kiora spoke up. "I have the patriarch gene again. It can replicate any technique that's been used by it or against it, so I should be able to pull off Naruto's Rasen-Shuriken."

Sakura grinned. She dismissed the remaining ninja and turned to the map. "These are the locations of five altars," she said. "They must be destroyed within thirty seconds of each other, which means we must coordinate this strike."

She produced six headsets. "These are our longest distance headsets," she said. "They have just enough range to reach from the center altar to the furthest. Yumi, you'll have to travel farthest, but we can arrange for Kohana to help you."

"I'll take earth," Sasuke said. "Melody, you take wind."

Melody nodded in agreement. "That leaves you for the fire guardian," Sakura said, indicating the Mizukage's grandson.

Each of them took a headset and headed outside. Sakura gathered them one last time before they departed.

"The guardian should appear as soon as you destroy the altar," she said. "They supposedly have the strength of one of the Kages, but we've stacked the elements so far against them that we should be able to dispatch them without too much trouble. Good luck."

Kohana seized Yumi's hand and teleported. Sasuke turned to the village's south gate and headed off. Melody went to the main gate after a nod to Kiora, and the Mizukage's grandson headed north. Kiora ran west, towards the center of the continent. She leapt over the Hokage's monument and continued on her path.

-----

Kohana and Yumi reached their target first, making it to the west coast in an instant. Kohana scouted from the sky, finding the altar within minutes.

"This is it?" she asked as she and Yumi approached it. The altar was the size of a coffin, with an elaborately carved roof that was rimmed in sapphires. The kanji for water was carved into the stone face.

"I guess we wait," she said, sitting down to with her back to the small shrine. Yumi sat next to her.

"You don't wear a headband," she commented. "Where are you from?"

Kohana stared at the girl. "You don't know who I am?" she asked. Yumi shook her head. Kohana sighed. "I am the vampire who conquered Konoha and Sunagakure a good six or seven years ago. Now I help Kiora, the daughter of the woman who was in charge, courtesy of a demonic contract with Lucifer. But now I'm free and can do what I wish, but I will stay by my love's side until the end of time."

"That's sweet," Yumi said. Kohana stared at the girl. She was beginning to doubt that this girl was as good of a fighter as she claimed to be. For starters, she only looked eleven, maybe twelve if she was a runt. The only thing that hinted at any combat experience was a scar that looked like it ran across her back.

"So how good of a fighter are you?" Kohana asked. "The guardian that's supposed to pop out of this thing is as strong as one of the Kages."

"I gave one of the Akatsuki a scar," Yumi answered, without even flinching. "He was very rude. He tried to kill my best friend. So I tried to crush his skull with my jutsu."

Kohana was speechless. This little girl gave Ganryu his scar?

Yumi put a hand to her ear as an audible crackle came over the headset. "This is Kiora," came the voice. "I've reached the altar of lightning. Anyone else at their target yet?"

"Yumi and Kohana are," Yumi replied. "We're waiting for your signal."

-----

"Anybody else?" Kiora asked into the device. Silence answered her. She hadn't honestly expected anyone else to beat her to an altar, so she examined the structure.

The roof was rimmed in topaz, and the kanji for lightning adorned the facade. Kiora was amazed that something like this had survived all the ninja wars over the centuries without being looted or destroyed.

There was a crackle over her headset. "This is Melody, I'm at the target."

_Three down, two to go, _Kiora thought.

-----

Melody marveled at the altar. Its roof was bordered by diamonds, each one precision cut. It pained her to imagine destroying the shrine. She shook her head at the thought and reminded herself that this was to save everyone. No amount of gems were worth someone's life.

Sakura had the last remaining headset, and she would direct Kiora on how to destroy each shrine, after which the signal would be given.

Melody folded her arms across her chest and meditated, waiting for that moment.

-----

It was three hours before Sasuke reached the final altar. The Mizukage's grandson beat him by a mere twenty minutes. Kiora relayed the news to Sakura.

"Good," Sakura said. "Now, here's the caveat. To destroy the altars, they have to be hit in the kanji on the front. Simply crack the stone and the altar will crumble."

Kiora relayed the info to the others. "As soon as the altars crumble, the guardians will rise, so be ready."

"Alright," Kiora said. "We take these things out in thirty seconds. Whatever technique you need to use to break the altar, get it ready."

Kiora charged her Chidori, counting down in her head. "Five, four, three, two, one," she counted. "Now!"

Her Chidori raced in, piercing the kanji on the front of the altar. It crumbled into dust as soon as she broke the surface of the stone, and she tumbled through the rubble.

She scrambled to her feet and turned back to face it as a hulking form emerged from the dust.

-----

"We're gonna take this thing out and the altar in one good combo," Kohana said. "I'll break the altar open, you hit the guardian thing with your jutsu."

Yumi nodded as Kohana cast her spell. The blast of lightning tore through the altar like it was made of straw.

Yumi flipped through a long string of handsigns as the guardian stood. It was eight feet tall, appearing to be made of steel. It had the appearance of samurai armor, though it was obviously not human.

"Earth Style: Stone Slaughter Jutsu!" she cried, placing her hands on the ground. Large chunks of earth began to rise from the ground, spinning in a circle around the guardian. It tried to counter the stones with a water jutsu, but the spinning rocks would not be stopped.

They crashed into the metal being, grinding into its armor. More stones piled onto it, until there was nothing to be seen of it. Yumi flipped through more handsigns.

"Earth Style: Stone Coffin," she said, clapping her hands together. The rocks piled on the guardian slammed together, ending in an eerie silence.

"Wow," Kohana said. "That was brutally efficient."

Yumi curtsied. "Thank you," she said. Kohana frowned.

"Sakura said a talisman was supposed to appear when the guardian was defeated," Kohana said.

On cue, there was a massive roar as the stones burying the guardian exploded skyward, blasted by a jet of water.

"Maybe not as efficient as I thought," Kohana said, beginning another incantation. "Ice Style: Raging Blizzard Jutsu."

Ten-foot javelins of ice materialized behind her, while dark energy from her spell gathered around her. The ice surged forward, stabbing through the metal monstrosity. Her spell kicked in, tearing the construction's head from its shoulders.

Now it was Yumi's turn to be impressed. "I think I like you," she said as Kohana floated back to the ground. "Is it normal for a girl to say that?"

Kohana rolled her eyes as the guardian disintegrated into the same dust that the altar had. She picked through the debris to find a small disk, unremarkable except for the fact that it was warm, almost alive with energy.

"We've got our talisman thingy," Yumi reported.

-----

"Great," Kiora muttered. She was having trouble with the Rasen-Shuriken. It kept going off in her hand, despite the fact that she was now using the Kyuubi and the patriarch gene simultaneously.

Another voice spoke up on the headset. "I've got the talisman," Sasuke reported. "You just need to pierce their armor to kill them."

Kiora relayed the information, and clapped her hands together, calling up the Chidori in each one. The guardian's primary jutsu was a lightning storm that was highly effective at tracking an opponent's moves. So Kiora called on her abilities, teleporting behind the large metal man. Her jutsu made short work of the guardian, and she scooped up the talisman soon after.

"This is Melody," came a call across the headset. "I've got mine."

"I have the talisman," the Mizukage's grandson said.

"That's all of them," Kiora said. Sakura came on.

"Good, now bring them all to the lightning altar. There should be a place for each one to be inserted on the ground there somewhere."

-----

"Strength of the Kages my ass," Kohana said as she teleported into the altar site. "Things were weak."

Kiora laughed. "I agree. Especially after the Akatsuki."

Yumi looked from one to the other, trying to determine the nature of their relationship. "Is it natural for two girls to be in love?" she asked. Kiora stopped laughing, instead staring at the black-haired girl.

"Ignore her," Kohana said. "I do." Kiora glared at her lover.

"That's not nice," she said. "Go get the other three so we don't have to wait all night to get this over with."

Kohana begrudgingly teleported away, muttering curses under her breath. Kiora turned to Yumi.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Twelve," Yumi said. "I just turned twelve two weeks ago."

Kiora frowned, trying to find the best words. "Love is something that is always natural, no matter who it is. I'm sure you love your mother, and she's a girl."

Yumi looked upset at that. "My mother died," she said. "When the Akatsuki attacked. I had just made genin. I'm all alone, now."

Kiora was taken aback. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't know."

"My mom always told me I should fall in love with a nice boy," the younger girl said. "She wanted to come to my wedding when I got older. I just never found a boy I liked. It was always other girls, but I never told anyone, because I thought I was supposed to like only boys."

"I'll tell you something interesting," Kiora said. "I have two moms."

Yumi's eyes went wide. "How?" she asked.

"My moms love each other very much," Kiora said. "They would do anything for each other."

"But didn't they ever try to like boys?" Yumi asked.

"They did," Kiora said. "You'll meet the man my mom liked when she was your age. But then my other mom kissed her one day and they've been together ever since."

Yumi stared at Kiora, who was spacing out, lost in memories. "I like you, too," she finally announced.

Kiora stared. "Yeah, that was about my reaction," Kohana said as she walked into view, her three traveling companions in tow. "She's like a lesbian Lolita."

Sasuke and his daughter each handed over their talismans. Kiora turned to the Mizukage's grandson, and he procured the small piece of metal. She took the five pieces to the point on the ground she had found, exactly beneath the spot where the altar had once stood.

"Okay mom, what's the order these things go in?" she asked over the headset.

"First, take off their casing," Sakura said. "Run the proper type of elemental chakra through the case and it should fall off."

Kiora held out the lightning talisman. Melody touched it with a lightning-infused finger, and the metal casing melted away. Inside was a small medallion, one side marked with a raised kanji for lightning, the other with a recessed kanji for wind. She repeated this with each one, all revealing similar medallions with the opposing element on the reverse side. Finally, only the wind remained.

"Problem, mom," Kiora said. "None of us can use wind chakra."

"What happened to the Rasen-Shuriken?" she asked.

"It was a waste, I can't pull it off," Kiora said. "I can't master wind."

"You don't have to master it, you just have to harness it for an instant."

Kiora closed her eyes, testing each type of chakra. Lightning was so easy she could do it in her sleep, same with fire. Water and earth needed the help of the patriarch gene, but somehow, even with the patriarch gene and the Kyuubi, she couldn't touch wind.

Kiora opened her eyes and teleported. She found Ganryu in the cell they had locked him in. He looked up as she entered.

"What is it, girlie?" he asked. "You beat the Akatsuki, what information could I possibly provide now?"

"How do I use wind chakra?" she asked.

Ganryu looked surprised. "Like this," he said. His wind barrier formed around him. Kiora slammed the talisman into his wall of chakra-infused air, and the metal casing melted away.

She teleported back. "We're ready to go," she said. "I'm gonna guess fire goes last?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Slide each one into it's opposing element, then slide the entire stack into the hole."

Kiora obeyed, fitting the disks together. She slid the resulting cylinder into the hole in the stone. A handle rose from the back of the fire talisman.

"Turn it 180 degrees and then back up," Sakura said. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Kiora reached out to take the handle. She took one last look at her companions, each one nodding in turn.

She gave it a half turn and jumped back as a pillar of light shot from the cylinder into the sky. The ground began to rumble, and Sakura's voice came over the headset.

"Well done."

A/N: Well, there's one loose end, but I guess that brings up a whole mess of others, doesn't it? Read and review, and enjoy!


	24. Part of the World Again

A/N: Well, this will probably be the last story-intensive chapter. The plot is pretty much wrapped up, and I'm guessing some people can see where this is going.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the real world. The real world is in no way affiliated with Naruto. All persons in the real world are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidence.

Kiora was unsure of whether they were falling or rising. Either way, it felt as though the world was being torn asunder. She clung to Kohana and Yumi, hoping to protect the young kunoichi.

"I really hope you did it right," Kohana said. Kiora glared at her.

"I know she did it right," Yumi said. Kohana rolled her eyes, and Kiora patted the girl on the shoulder.

"We'll make it," Kiora said.

-----

"What began this morning as a small earthquake is quickly becoming the largest natural disaster in recorded history," a newscaster said. "The Pacific Ocean is the epicenter for a massive tectonic event. Scientists are baffled as to the cause, and many are speculating this to be the beginning of the end of days. Kevin Sinclair joins us from Los Angeles. Kevin?"

"Thanks Joe, I'm here at the closest continental U.S. city to the disaster zone, where the earth can be felt shaking even now. This event began this morning at approximately 11 A.M., and as you can tell, it's been continuing for over an hour. I managed to get some insight from the locals here about what they feel is going on."

A slutty-looking college girl got on. "It's the end of the world! I can't die a virgin!"

A stoned teen with a skateboard appeared. "Dude, what if Atlantis is coming back to the surface? That'd be tight, right bro?"

"Indeed," Kevin said. "Local geologist Dr. Amy Reed is here with me know, explaining the phenomenon. Dr. Reed, your thoughts, please?"

"Well, I'd almost have to agree with our skater friend," the geologist said. "The earliest reports we're getting show that a rift is forming in the middle of the Pacific tectonic plate. This rift is appearing almost perfectly between Hawaii and Australia. By all accounts, it's almost as though a new continent is being formed."

"Thank you very much Dr. Reed. Back to you, Joe."

-----

Kiora looked skyward, watching as the sky darkened, then began to glow. She realized that a bubble of ancient chakra and magic was keeping a mass of molten rock and metal at bay. "Mom?" she asked over the headset.

"Yeah? I'm here," Sakura said. "What does it look like out there?"

"Scary," Kiora admitted. "I just want to tell you, I love you very much, just in case this doesn't work."

"I love you too," Sakura said. "It'll be over soon."

Sure enough, there was a patch of light appearing at the peak of the dome of molten rock. Kiora watched as it grew, until finally they were rising through seawater, with the surface in sight.

-----

"Mr. President, we have received confirmation on the appearance of a new continent in the Pacific."

"Ready Air Force One," the President said. "We're going to the U.N."

-----

Kiora let go of her lover and new friend as they reached the surface. The ground stopped shaking, and she was finally able to look around. Nothing appeared to have changed, except that it was now morning when it was late afternoon. Kiora took Yumi's hand and teleported back to Konoha.

She found her parents, and after a few hugs, spoke about her fear. "We just caused a lot of commotion," she said. "Someone is bound to come looking for us."

Sakura nodded. "While you were gone, we decided to unite the remnants of the shinobi nations. We're going to join under the name of Konohagakure."

"And your mother's the Hokage," Hinata added, cradling Miyoko. "She's the person in charge now."

Sakura blushed. "Regardless of all that," she said. "No doubt the powers that be will want an explanation for what just happened. As leader, it's my duty to handle that."

"I'm going with you," Kiora said. "You'll need bodyguards."

Melody stepped forward. "I'll go too." Sakura nodded and turned to Kohana.

"You probably already know where I should go to sort out all of this, don't you," she said. Kohana grinned.

"Of course I do," the vampire teased. "I know everything." She touched the trio and teleported them to the inside of a large room filled with people. A large logo declared that this was the U.N.

"As you can see from these early satellite photos," a man was saying from the podium at the front of the room. "There are vast amounts of ruins, but as of yet, we have seen no indication of any inhabitants."

There was an outburst of speaking, no one sure of how to interpret the information. Sakura strode forward, moving up the center aisle. Heads whipped around to regard her as she passed. In this room, filled with people in suits and other business attire, the Konoha shinobi stood out. And that did not seem to be a good thing.

"Who are you?" asked a man in dark sunglasses. An earpiece adorned his left ear. "What right do you have to be in here?"

"I am the leader of the people on the very continent you are examining," Sakura said simply. The man looked to his nearest counterpart and nodded.

"You can have the floor," he said. Sakura moved past him, her three impromptu bodyguards following.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began as she reached the podium. "I am Sakura Haruno, the leader of the village of Konohagakure. I can assure you, my people mean you no harm, and we bear no ill will towards any government that may be in place. I'm certain our appearance has been quite alarming, so I am here to answer any questions you may have."

There was a roar as people scrambled to be heard, each one trying to be louder than their neighbor while maintaining civility. Finally, order was restored and several hands were raised. Sakura shrugged and pointed to the nearest one.

As he spoke, a translator handled the language barrier. "Where did you people come from? How did you come to be on the continent?"

Sakura looked to Kiora. "This is gonna be a long day," she muttered.

-----

It was several hours before the gathering was released for a break. Kohana teleported the group to a new location so they could regroup.

Kiora peered between the bars of a fence to discover that they were easily a thousand feet up. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Empire State Building, New York City," Kohana answered. "One of the tallest buildings in the country. You just went through a crash-course in world politics, so I figured I'd bring you here so you can learn the lay of the land a little."

Kiora nodded. Several tourists were eying them strangely, and she realized that they had just materialized out of thin air. "No one in this world has any powers like you or I, do they?" she asked Kohana.

The vampire shook her head. "Yes and no. On the surface, the humans have eradicated all of the ancient beings with any sort of power, but there are many races that have become very well hidden. There are still vampires, mages, and all sorts of other powerful beings, but they all stay hidden now. That's partly why this is all such a big deal, because as far as these people are concerned, we are fictional."

Kiora frowned. "Oh, dragons are extinct," Kohana added. "Fyren was the last one in this universe, and you saw fit to remove him, so that's one magical race you can cross off the list."

Melody spoke up. "So, if we are supposed to be figments of their imaginations, how are they going to try to deal with us? Are they going to let us go on living, or is some government going to try and take us over and keep us out of the public eye?"

Kohana shrugged. "I don't know. Politics never was one of my strong suits."

Sakura sighed. After all the questioning and explaining, she wasn't sure if she had done the right thing or not. Maybe it would have been better for the ninja to die out and their little world to go unnoticed for eternity.

Kiora put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "We'll be alright," she said. "I have faith in you."

Kohana teleported the four back into the U.N. just in time for the guards to start sealing the chamber.

"Ms. Haruno, the President of the United States would like to speak with you privately," said a man. Sakura followed him, and Kiora tagged along close behind. She was barred entry to her mother's discussion, but still wanted to be as close as possible.

She looked at each of the president's security, wondering what each was capable of in a fight. They probably relied heavily on weapons rather than talent. She was just considering pushing one's buttons when Sakura returned.

"We're going home," she said. "We've done all we need to here."

Kiora was surprised. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Sakura said. "It's important that we leave for now, though."

Kohana teleported the group back to Konoha's ruins, where the inhabitants were beginning to rebuild. Ayame and Aiko had recovered more gear from the fire that took down Ichiraku Ramen, and Hinata had borrowed Sasuke's help to move their furniture back into their old home.

"Well, I don't have the collection I once did, but if you're still interested in starting a band, I have enough equipment," Aiko said. "I took the liberty of giving Melody some bass lessons while you were away. You'd be amazed at how fast people learn with a Sharingan."

Kiora laughed. "Yeah," she said. "Pretty amazing." She teleported back to the underground Konoha shelter, retrieved her guitar, and came back to the surface. She followed Aiko to the remnants of Ichiraku Ramen, where she had set up what was left of her gear.

The once massive double-bass drum set was down to a scorched single-bass set, but still had most of the various cymbals that Aiko had. The Mesa that Kiora had received her first guitar lesson on was still there, but only with one cab rather than the full stack it once was. She noticed that Aiko had saved the amplifier to a speaker system for a singer, but it looked like the speakers had bit the dust.

"Melody should have the bass and amp that I gave her," Aiko said, watching Kiora look around. "It looks like they left that apartment building alone for the most part."

Kiora nodded. The Squire that she had been given as her first guitar was broken, the neck snapped when the Akatsuki raided her home. She picked up a guitar cable and plugged the Gibson Explorer into the Mesa and flipped the power switch.

"I bet electricity helps," Melody said, walking up. "Your mother still wants to talk to you."

Kiora propped the guitar up against the amp and followed Melody back to where her mother was. "The U.S. Government has promised us a seat in the U.N.," Sakura said. "We're going to be treated as any other country, but we need to draft a constitution outlining our governmental structure."

"Is that it?" Kiora asked. Sakura nodded.

"Then we'll be a legitimate country," she said. "We'll be part of the world again."

A/N: Well, that's it for the story. I hope you all liked it! There's gonna be an epilogue, of course, to set the stage for Help Needed 4, and a special treat: the conclusion of the arc that I never finished around chapter 12 where I blatantly self-insert myself into the story for teh lulz.


	25. Epilogue: Leaving Home

A/N: This is it, guys. The second-to-last update on this story. And then we get to start a whole new series. Hell, at that point it probably will be more original work than fanfiction. Well, I had fun, and I hope you did too.

Disclaimer: An excellent album by Seether, you should check it out. I mean, seriously, there's a song called Fuck It. I love it! Oh, right. I don't own Naruto.

The sun sank below the horizon in the village of Konohagakure, darkness engulfing the land. On a stage set up in the village center, a spotlight shone down on a blond girl.

"Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire," Natsuko Yamanaka shouted into a microphone. Kiora Hyuuga Haruno jumped in with the main riff to the song, her guitar's raw roar screaming into the night. Aiko pounded along on drums while Melody Uchiha thrummed along on bass.

_Turn on, I see red  
Adrenaline crash & crack my head  
Nitro junkie, paint me dead  
And I see red_

A hundred plus through black and white  
War horse, warhead  
Fuck 'em man, white knuckle tight  
Through black & white

Ooh, on I burn,  
Fuel is pumping engines,  
Burning hard, loose & clean  
And I burn,  
Churning my direction,  
Quench my thirst with gasoline

So gimme fuel,  
Gimme fire,  
Gimme that which I desire,

Yeah

Turn on beyond the bone  
Swallow future, spit out home  
Burn your face upon the chrome  
Yeah!

Take the corner, join the crash,  
Headlights, headlines  
Another junkie lives too fast  
Yeah lives way too fast, fast, fast, whoa-oh

Ooh, on I burn  
Fuel is pumping engines  
Burning hard, loose & clean  
And on I burn  
Churning my direction,  
Quench my thirst with gasoline

So gimme fuel  
Gimme fire  
Gimme that which I desire

Ooh, yeah.

Kiora took center stage as she riffed out the next part of the song. Power chords crunched out of the amp as she worked the crowd, playing inches from the front row.

"White knuckle tight!" Natsuko shouted as Kiora started into the guitar solo, shredding a new creation rather than using Kirk Hammett's blues-inspired licks. Diminished arpeggios and multi-string tapping techniques left her fingers a blur on the strings. She dumped the whammy bar as the solo came to an end, leading into the softer part of the song.

_Ooh, gimme fuel  
Give me fire  
My desire_

Ooh, on I burn  
Fuel is pumping engines  
Burning hard, loose & clean  
And I burn  
Churning my direction  
Quench my thirst with gasoline

Gimme fuel  
Gimme fire  
Gimme that which I desire  
Ooh

On I burn!

Natsuko stood panting as the ringing in her ears slowly died down. Even with earplugs in, the sheer volume of being onstage was incredible. She caught Kiora's eye, noticing the mile-wide grin the girl wore.

"Fun?" she mouthed. If it was possible, Kiora's smile got even wider as she nodded. The four headed off stage and joined the crowd.

"That was amazing, kid," Sakura said, putting her arm around her daughter. "When do you guys leave?"

"Tonight," Aiko said. "We're heading to Boston. Kohana said she knows some people who know some people there."

"And all of your families are okay with this?" the leader of the shinobi asked. Each of the quartet nodded, and Sakura gave her daughter a final hug. "Remember, home will always be here when you need it. Don't hesitate to come back whenever you need help."

Kiora nodded, and the band packed up their gear. Kohana appeared on the stage next to them, her arms folded across her chest.

"Apartment's all set up," she said. "We ready to go? It's almost dawn there, I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

Kiora grabbed her guitar case and pulled Natsuko close to teleport. Kohana touched Melody and Aiko and the group got ready to go.

"Wait!" shouted a voice. Yumi ran forward, clutching a guitar case. "Take me too!"

Aiko nodded, and Kiora took the little girl's hand. Kohana teleported, and Kiora followed.

-----

"Hard to believe it's been six months," Hinata said. "I miss her."

Sakura nodded, though it went unseen behind the stacks of paperwork on the refurbished Hokage's desk. She realized what Tsunade had gone through during her time as Hokage, and looked back often to wonder what her predecessors would have done in her situation.

She imagined that the First Hokage would have tried to tough it out, remaining hidden from the world. The Second would have most likely done the same, but she liked to think that the Third would have agreed with her actions. The Fourth Hokage was a visionary, and if he felt it would have saved them, he'd have undone the seal. Tsunade would have done it, she felt, and Shikamaru was so lazy it wouldn't have dawned on him.

Kakashi was different. Thinking of her old teacher brought tears to her eyes each time, but she knew that without his sacrifice, they might have lost much more. She steeled her nerves and went back to her current paperwork, authorizing the construction of an airport. The shinobi nation had been granted access to the world's technology, and major manufacturing companies were already working on exporting goods to the nation.

"You know, maybe it's time to delegate," Hinata said. "I think this is too much of a workload for even the Hokage. You're supposed to be the highest-ranking ninja, not a bureaucrat."

Sakura agreed, the same thoughts having been present for several days. The number of tasks was piling up faster than they were being resolved, and that was without the shinobi missions that were beginning to pile up. The academy had been re-opened, and the first immigrants were already coming in. There were still some tensions about training the mystic abilities of ninja in a mundane world, but they were confident that they'd overcome it.

Miyoko burst into the Hokage's office, tears streaming from between her fingers. She threw herself behind the desk, burying her face in her mother's Hokage robe.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Sakura asked, scooping the six-year-old into her arms.

"The...kids...in...my...class...are...so...m-m-mean!" Miyoko sobbed. "Th-they called me ugly!"

Sakura was confused. She didn't like to brag, but she and Hinata made one damn good-looking kid, and nobody was gonna call her kid ugly. "Why would they say that?" she asked.

She managed to finally pull Miyoko's hands away from her eyes and realized what it was. Her eyes were still the shade of blue-green they always had been, but her Byakugan seemed to be coming in. The veins around her eyes had become engorged with chakra, and her pupils had disappeared.

"Oh, baby, it's okay," she said, cradling the child. "It's just part of being a Hyuuga. I know your mom will be glad to help you learn to handle it. It's just a matter of getting control."

Miyoko dried her eyes on her sleeve and nodded. "Okay," she said. She ran to Hinata and wrapped herself around her mother's leg.

"It won't take too long," Hinata said. "All it takes is learning to limit your chakra. Once you get that, the real trick will be activating them again, but that's for another day."

The pair turned and left the Hokage's office, leaving Sakura to her growing stacks of paperwork.

The village of Konohagakure would soon become the city of Konohagakure, capital of the country of the same name, and the shinobi would add much more to their legacy before they ever died out. But that, my friends, is a story for another day.

A/N: And that's a wrap, folks! Take five, come back in a day or two for the omake special, and be ready for book 4 to start in a few weeks.


	26. Omake: The Missing Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. There's no author's note because this entire chapter is basically one long self-inserted piece of randomness.

"There," Taku said, hitting enter on his keyboard. "Done."

"Done with what?" Aiko asked, peering over his shoulder. "Looks like a really long story thing. Isn't Miyoko the name of Kiora's sister? What is that?"

"God you ask a lot of questions," Taku said. "I just finished this story."

"Wait, what?"

"I just finished Help Needed 3. It's done. The plot is resolved. I just typed the epilogue."

"But this is the thirteenth chapter," Aiko said. "We're nowhere near the end. How can you be done with a story we haven't been through yet?"

Taku sighed and opened a Coke. "All I have to do is not post this chapter until the end and it won't spoil anything. Then, for all you know, this never happened until after the story."

"My brain hurts now."

"That usually happens when drummers think."

Aiko smacked him over the head and he closed out the document. "Shouldn't you be out with Kiora trying to get a new band member?" Taku asked. "Although I already know how that plot line gets resolved."

"Kiora can handle it, and since you've already decided that this chapter won't happen until after the story is over, care to explain how this ends up?"

"No. Go away."

"Please?"

"No. Go away."

"Pretty please?"

"No. Go away."

"I'll show you my boobs."

"No. Go a- okay fine."

-----

"So, yeah, this isn't working at all," Kiora said, hanging upside-down from the monkey bars at the playground near Taku's home. "It's been days and we've gotten zero replies. Naruto got more contacts when he was trying to find kids to molest."

"Um, ew?" Natsuko said. "Seeing as how I was one of the kids? Not cool."

"Sorry babe."

"You totally aren't, but okay."

Kohana gave up on the pair and teleported back into Taku's room.

"You know, it's not fair," Taku was saying, staring at the ceiling from his bed. "I've seen more of my fictional characters than I have of my own girlfriend. Bitch will not put out. Nice tits, though."

"And you're telling me this because?" Aiko asked.

"Because as my creation you have a right to know," the author replied.

"You're bored as hell and have writer's block," Kohana said. "Thus, complaints about the real world. Next you'll be bitching about how the girl that used to sit next to you was totally hot and you should have tried to go out with her, or you'll complain that your YouTube videos have almost no views."

"Thanks," Taku said. "I was gonna string that out for like, six paragraphs, but you summed it up in one. Way to kill the chapter length."

"Fine, what do you suggest we do?" Kohana asked. "It's not like you can put a lemon in here without seeming really desperate."

"You know, at this point I just might be that desperate," he countered. "For all you know, in three paragraphs you could be naked, riding me like a crazy, lolicon vampire cowgirl."

The aforementioned crazy lolicon vampire cowgirl glared at him. Taku paused and thought. "Is it pedophilia to have a crush on a 14 year old?"

"Generally speaking, yes, but there are special circumstances that might make it more acceptable," Kohana said.

"Like?"

"If you demonstrated honest love for the girl instead of just lusting after her tender young flesh."

"But tender young flesh is so much easier," Taku whined. "Love requires caring, caring requires effort, and effort is way too much work."

"Pedophile," Aiko said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Says the oversexed twelve year old who frequently has sex with the girl who looks ten," Taku countered.

"That's different," Aiko said. "When two girls make love it's about love, not just getting off."

"Speak for yourself," Kohana said. "It's all about coming."

"This conversation really needs to stop," Taku said. "You're forcing the blood to flee my brain in favor of another location."

Aiko looked confused while Kohana restrained her giggles. Taku patted the confused girl on the shoulder and turned to Kohana. "Where are Kiora and Natsuko, anyways?" he asked.

"I thought you already knew everything involving your characters," Kohana said. "Don't you know where they are?"

Taku frowned. "I loath you. They're at the kid's playground, probably bothering the locals."

They left the house, eager to get away before the author's family came home. The three made it to the mailboxes at the entrance to the neighborhood before someone shouted at the author.

"Wait!" shouted a red-headed girl. "Where are you going?"

"Hey Kristie," Taku said. "I was just stepping out for some fresh air. Killing time again."

"And who are they?" the girl asked, indicating Aiko and Kohana.

Taku hurriedly introduced his characters as relatives of a family friend. "This is my girlfriend, Kristie," he added.

Kristie put her hands on her hips, glaring at the author. "What?" he asked.

"Don't mention me like an afterthought," she complained. Her expression softened, though, and he realized she was kidding.

"So is she the one you were saying wouldn't put out?" Aiko asked.

Taku bolted down the hill as his girlfriend chased him, shouting curses at him that no civilized ears should ever hear. I told you she was a little crazy, right?

I want to take a minute to speak to you directly. This chapter is set back when I still lived in northern Virginia, and had a girlfriend. Since then, I've gone through a short Naval career, and moved to Washington state all the way on the west coast. I basically have no ideas for this little chapter, so I apologize if the laughs are a little forced. Thank you for your time.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Kiora asked as Taku strolled casually onto the playground.

"The readers," he answered, sitting on the end of the slide. "The two I have left."

"Really? Two?" Natsuko asked. "More than I'd have thought."

"Oh fuck you," Taku said. "For your information, I am still a good author, it's just that most people don't find the subject matter interesting. People tend to come to for one of two things: Either they're emo dykes looking for various forms of yaoi or Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy pairings, or their pervy teenage boys looking for various forms of yuri. People usually don't come here for stories about original characters that don't fit into either of those categories."

"You...run...too...fast," Kristie said, panting as she slid onto the author's lap. She slipped him a quick kiss, forgiving him for anything he may or may not have said to Aiko and Kohana.

Kiora stared at him from her position on the monkey bars. "That's it?" she asked. She flipped down, striding up to Kristie. She stared at her, millimeters from her face. Kristie's face grew increasingly pink, until Kiora seized the girl's chin and pulled her in for a kiss, trying to get the girl to use her tongue.

She pulled away and Kristie gasped for air. Kiora glared at Taku. "Bitch does not put out," she said.

"I'm staying out of this," he said, folding his hands behind his head. "You started this, finish it."

Aiko and Kohana joined the group then, watching the scene unfold. Kiora questioned the author's girlfriend.

"You love each other, don't you?" she asked, staying as intimidating as possible. "But you kiss like I kiss my mom goodnight."

"You kiss your mother like that?" Kristie asked. "Brett, what kind of friends does your family have?"

"Who the hell did you tell her we were?" Kiora demanded, dragging him back into the conversation. He'd have been kicking and screaming if he didn't have his dignity.

"You're relatives of my stepmom's friends," the author said emphatically.

"Oh come on," Kiora said. "If you can't be honest with her you can't say you love her."

"I notice she's not fourteen," Kohana said. "So obviously there's some very amusing explaining to be done."

Taku frowned. "Fine," he said. "Kristie, these are the characters from my story. They came here using a dimension jumping spell by the blonde one. Kohana, the fourteen year old I mentioned was my best friend's sister."

"Now," Kiora said, pulling Aiko close. "If you love someone, generally _this_ is how you kiss them."

She grabbed the twelve year old and kissed her deeply, making it very obvious she was using her tongue. Aiko pushed back into the kiss, their tongues dancing in each other's mouths.

Kristie's eyes went wide. "I need to go," she said, running from the playground. As soon as she was out of earshot, Taku turned on his creations.

"Way to go, guys," he said. "Now she'll probably dump me."

"It's cool," Kohana said. "What about this sister of your best friend?"

"She's way too innocent to notice any of my feelings," Taku said. "Maybe if I was really blunt and just came out and said it, she'd realize, but there's always a chance she'd reject me. And then I'd be labeled a pedophile."

"But you are," Aiko said.

"LOLICON IS NOT PEDOPHILIA!" Taku shouted. "Just because you saw my screen saver doesn't mean you know me. Keep it up and I'll make sure you die in the next story arc."

"That's not cool," Kiora said. "Wasn't this thing supposed to be funny? It got all serious all of a sudden."

"I don't feel very humorous," Taku said. "I think it's about time this arc ended. You guys go back home, and I'll make sure the band thing pans out for you. I need to go reflect on my actions and commit hara-kiri if necessary."

"Okay," Kiora said. "We'll see you around."

"Not if I can help it," Taku said. "Thanks for the laughs, it's been fun." He turned and left the playground as Kohana started the spell.

"Note to self: create an annoying little girl to tag along with them on adventures. I should name her Yumi," the author muttered.

-----

"Kiora Hyuuga Haruno, YOU'RE GROUNDED!" Sakura shouted as her daughter returned to her home. "How dare you deliberately break the fourth wall? I should shove that guitar so far up your ass that you fart power chords."

Kiora quietly took her mother's verbal thrashing, knowing full well that being grounded didn't really matter. As long as she had Kohana, she could fully enjoy being locked in her room.

"And one more thing," Sakura added. "Kohana's going to be spending the week at Aiko's, so you can forget about getting laid while you're in trouble."

Kiora grumbled as she trudged up the stairs into her room, where she flopped on her bed and passed out, hoping a week in trouble wasn't as long as a week in Taku's universe.

A/N: And that's the final update for Help Needed 3. 4 will start soon, but I might have some other projects I'll be working on soon. Catch all of my readers later, hope you stick with me!

I'm also going to upload Help Needed 2 under my own account, to make it easier to find. I have a question, though. Should I leave it as is or do a little bit of improving, editing and tweaking? You guys make the call!

I want to give special thanks to Voidangel Soren for being the only person to stick with me from the first chapters of Help Wanted. I always thought Kyouger would be the one to do that, but I have been wrong before.


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